A 117-year-old library building in downtown Lincoln that has sat largely empty since 2011 is getting a new purpose: the Lincoln City Council has approved a 20-year lease handing the Carnegie Library over to a nonprofit planning to turn it into a community clay arts center. The group behind the project, the Lincoln Clay Arts Center, is aiming to open its doors in 2027, with a vision built directly on the city's own ceramic manufacturing roots.
The council voted 5-0 to approve the lease, according to the Sacramento Bee, which first reported on the plan. Under the agreement, the nonprofit will use the building at 590 Fifth St. for $1 per year while the City of Lincoln retains ownership, with two five-year extension options built into the deal. The city has committed to not unreasonably withholding those extensions as long as the center meets its performance requirements, per the same report.
The lease comes with strings attached. The Lincoln Clay Arts Center must maintain minimum standards for its number of classes and public access hours, file annual activity reports, and address utility costs starting with a review in the lease's third year. If performance problems go uncorrected 90 days after the city issues notice, Lincoln can terminate the agreement, the Bee's reporting notes.
From Carnegie Grant to Empty Shelves
The building's story goes back to 1907, when philanthropist Andrew Carnegie awarded Lincoln a grant to build a public library. Local residents purchased the land themselves, and Lincoln's own clay manufacturer, Gladding, McBean, donated the bricks, terra cotta trim, and ceramic roof tiles that still define the structure, according to the Lincoln Clay Arts Center. The Classical Revival building, designed by architect Allen D. Fellows and constructed by Santa Rosa's Hoyt Brothers, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Gladding, McBean has deep roots in the city. The company was founded in Lincoln in 1875 by Charles Gladding, Peter McGill McBean, and George Chambers after kaolin clay deposits were discovered along the California Central Railroad line, growing into one of California's oldest continuously operating ceramic manufacturers, according to Wikipedia. That heritage is baked directly into the Carnegie Library's walls, and it's a major reason a clay arts studio is seen as a fitting reuse for the space, the nonprofit notes.
Civic library service moved out of the Carnegie building after Lincoln opened the Twelve Bridges Library in 2007 to keep up with rapid population growth; that newer facility later expanded into a joint-use site with Twelve Bridges High School in 2021, according to the Lincoln Public Library. Before the Carnegie building fully emptied out, its basement had housed the Lincoln Area Archives Museum starting in 2010, until the city allowed that museum to relocate to the first floor of Lincoln's old City Hall on Beermann Plaza in January 2011, according to GivingEdge records.
Renovation Plans and Funding
Planned renovations include accessibility upgrades, bathroom improvements, and heating and air conditioning work, the Bee's reporting states. Those upgrades will build on the building's last major infrastructure update in 2000, when the city installed a central heating and cooling system, overhead lighting, new flooring, and an ADA-compliant restroom on the main level, per the nonprofit's project history. The long-term 20-year lease won't take effect until the building is approved for legal occupancy; in the meantime, the city had previously approved a short-term lease allowing the nonprofit to begin improvement work.
The City of Lincoln has committed $275,000 in public capital funds toward the structural upgrades and equipment needed to get the building ready, backed by $30,000 in early private contributions, according to the Lincoln Clay Arts Center. The nonprofit is also fundraising for startup capital. A 2025 feasibility study found strong community demand and outlined a sustainable operating model for the conversion.
Dave Riccatello, chair of the Lincoln Clay Arts Center, said a 20-year lease could help the nonprofit secure major donations and long-term funding, according to the Bee. He also said the group may establish a cultural arts endowment to support the clay arts center, the Art League, and the archive museum. The nonprofit plans to fund ongoing operations through classes, studio agreements, memberships, workshops, fundraising, grants, and donations.
What's Planned Inside
Once open, the center intends to offer pottery and ceramics classes, workshops, studio access, artist studios, exhibits, educational programs, and community events, the Bee reports. The group also hopes to partner with local schools, nonprofits, and community groups. Opening is targeted for 2027, depending on how renovations, equipment installation, and startup funding progress.
Lincoln City Councilmember Whitney Eklund said in an August statement reported by Gold Mountain California News Media that reactivating the Carnegie Library aligns with downtown Lincoln revitalization efforts and offers a venue for community connection through hands-on learning. Lincoln's Carnegie building is one of roughly 87 Carnegie-funded libraries still standing in California out of 144 built with Carnegie Corporation grants, a pattern of adaptive reuse into civic museums and arts spaces seen across the state, according to the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum.
