MCHENRY MUSEUM
The McHenry Museum is the former McHenry Library
When prominent local resident Oramil McHenry (son of notable pioneer, Robert McHenry), died in 1906, his estate left $20,000 along with a stake in three city lots designated for the construction of a public library in Modesto. The City of Modesto (the City) embarked on the construction project when the probate of his estate was complete. By 1911, the new library was ready to take shape.
In July of 1911, the City opened bids for the new building, and contractor Robert Trost of San Francisco won rights to proceed, being the lowest bidder. Renowned architect W. H. Weeks was chosen to design the building, and plans for the library were published in the Modesto Morning Herald on August 3, 1911. Construction began in January of 1912 and continued until completion, in April of the same year. The City formally took possession of the building, and opened it's doors to select visitors on April 29, 1912. The official opening of the McHenry Library to the general public was on May 1, 1912.*
The McHenry Library served the citizens of Modesto as a free, public library for fifty-nine years. It closed in 1971 when the new Modesto Main branch of the Stanislaus County Library opened. It’s 200,000+ books and related content were moved to this new and larger library, just one block away. This storied building was ready to be repurposed.
Local individuals and organizations had expressed the need for a museum and art center for some time, and plans for such a place to exist we already being made. Lead by Heidi Warner, a Citizen's Cultural Center Committee (the Committee) had been formed in 1965 to raise funds for a ‘cultural center’. Rather than go through with design plans to erect a new, stand-alone site, the Committee recognized the unique opportunity to utilize the existing and soon-to-be available McHenry Library structure. In November of 1970, the Modesto City Council agreed in principal to allow for the conversion of the vacated library building into such a cultural center. Confidence in the success of this transformation was grounded in the substantial contributions the Committee had amassed from individuals, organizations, and foundations.
The Committee oversaw careful restoration of the building to its original beauty, and the McHenry Museum opened with ribbon cutting ceremony on July 4, 1972. The Central California Art League occupied four rooms in the lower level and developed galleries to display local artists’ work. The upper level was transformed into the public museum: one room showed temporary exhibits, another displayed historic paintings, and a third housed the permanent local historic collection. The permanent collection included displays as vignettes of vintage rooms (including a kitchen, living room, and blacksmith's shop). In the lower level, the museum’s auditorium hosted everything from musical presentations to city council meetings.
The building maintained this configuration until 2003, when the Art League moved to new quarters. Now, the museum would utilize the entirety of the building. A fundraising campaign by the McHenry Museum & Historical Society (MM&HS) provided the money for remodeling, and the former art galleries were transformed into museum vignettes for public consumption. The use of the new space required a complete reorganization of both the main floor and lower level spaces.
Today, the building continues to be owned by the City of Modesto. Along with documenting and preserving Modesto and Stanislaus County history, the MM&HS aids the museum by providing trained docents to greet and guide museum visitors, ensures and promotes engagement of the community with their local history, and hosts community-enhancing activities on site and in the community.
*“From Reading Room to Public Library, the Evolution of the Library Spirit in Modesto, 1892-1912” by Heather Hajek, Stanislaus Stepping Stones. Vol. 27, No. 4, pages 1365-1373.