The Easton Library / North Burlingame Womans Club

   The Easton Library was the subject of the society’s November, 2003 meeting.

The North Burlingame Woman’s club purchased a plot of land at Cabrillo and Easton for $100.00 in 1923 and over the next four years the ladies raised sufficient money to build the "Pueblo Mission" structure that still stands today. The club opened on September 23, 1927.

Over the next twenty years the club was used as a venue for meetings, dramatic productions, and private parties.

   In 1943 the Burlingame Library signed a four-year lease to use the building as a local library annex, and four years later the Woman’s Club sold the building to the city. The building was remodeled in the 1970’s and was rescued from certain demolition by the hard work of many volunteers who managed to keep the building within the library system.

 The City of Burlingame in partnership with the Library Foundation completed a significant renovation project on the building on October 2, 2004 to restore it to its former glory, with significant improvements for a 21st century library.  Ramps to the entrance now make the branch handicapped accessible and the entire structure was seismically retrofitted.

Inside the central space used by patrons was increased and windows were enlarged to add more natural light to make the space a more inviting place to read, study, and enjoy library programs. In keeping with the evolving role of libraries, high speed internet technology is available to patrons for to access the Peninsula Library System catalog, subscription databases, and the World Wide Web.

Today the Easton annex is a vibrant local community resource with a cozy, comfortable feeling that serves young and old alike.

One happy patron had this to say about the new library, "I just love that my kids can walk with me to the library, know its layout, bump into friends, have relationships with the librarians, and feel a sense of community in this neighborhood branch."