Golden Gate is turning 100!

Join two local history experts, Annalee Allen and Gene Anderson, for a fascinating talk on the legacy of Carnegie and specifically, the Golden Gate Branch.

Nineteenth-century industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie funded hundreds of libraries throughout the United States in the early 20th century. Several of these libraries were built here in Alameda County and are still in use today. In Oakland we have the former Charles Greene Library (now the African American Museum and Library of Oakland or AAMLO) and three other branch libraries (Golden Gate, Temescal, and Melrose). Andrew Carnegie’s generosity established the role of free public libraries in America, offering men, women and children from all walks of life the opportunity to freely access the world of knowledge. Presented by Annalee Allen and Gene Anderson, courtesy of the Oakland Tours Program

Annalee Allen is an Oakland historian, former Tribune columnist, and also runs the downtown walking tours program for the city. She is the author of several books on Oakland history, including Oakland (Postcard History), Selections from the Oakland Tribune Archives and Oakland Landmarks: An Artistic Portrayal of History which was co-created with artist Heidi Wyckoff.

Author and blogger Gene Anderson lives in Oakland, where he can regularly be found exploring different parts of the city. His great-grandfather worked on one of the Southern Pacific ferryboats that plied San Francisco Bay in the 1890s, and his grandfather worked for the Sacramento Northern Railway in Oakland.

Golden Gate centennial programs are cosponsored by Commons Archive, a neighborhood memory bank that engages Golden Gate neighbors through their histories. Visit commonsarchive.net

Commons Archive is made possible in part by a grant from the Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Hass Fund that is also supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

This project was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.  

Commons Archive is supported by a fellowship at the Kala Art Institute whose mission is to help artists sustain their creative work over time through its Artist-in-Residence and Fellowship Programs and to engage the community through exhibitions, public programs, and education.