This page was created as a placeholder for the QR code in the Vacaville Museum Exhibit of my Buck Avenue and Main Street project.  This page will not be completed until the next exhibit is ready to open at the museum in July.  I have made this choice in order to encourage people to visit Vacaville Museum to see the exhibit and support Vacaville Museum.  I refer to the images in the project as "photographic fusion art."  I use multiple images I have taken, and fuse  them into unified works of art.  Five or more photographic applications are used in the process, and some images required over a hundred steps to create.

If you have questions about any particular addresses that are part of the project, please email me at hartleyarts@gmail.com.  Include "Buck" in your address header.  Included addresses start at the Opera House, and continue to 330 Buck Avenue.  Newer homes in that area are not included.

This is the first image completed for the Historical Buck Avenue and Main Street Project.  It is on display in the old Carnegie Library, now, Downtown Journey: The Library.   Please drop by The Library to view the art.  Take time to share some cocktails, mocktails, fine wine, or a variety of beers to accompany gourmet wood fired pizzas and other culinary delights.  Bring friends and make an outing of it.  A brief timeline of the history of this historic facility follows: 

A Brief History

1905: The Ulatis Book Club first began efforts to secure a $5,000 Carnegie Library grant, but plans were delayed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

1910: The Saturday Club took over the library planning committee, later pushing for a town library district and property tax.

1914: The Carnegie Foundation awarded Vacaville $12,500 to build the library. The town purchased the Main and Parker Street lot—formerly used as a wagon and horse parking area—for $3,000.

1915: Contractor George Sharpe constructed the Classical Revival, reinforced concrete building in just six months.

Mid-Century: The building was nicknamed “Esther's Library” after the contractor's daughter, Esther Eldridge, who served as librarian from 1945 to 1965.

1970: The Vacaville Library moves to a larger facility in the City Government Complex.  

1970s – 1980s: The Carnegie Library became home to such businesses as Toby’s House of Fashion, The Library Antique Shop, and The Old Library Restaurant. Later, a comic book/game store named The Game Warden opened in the building.

1981: Sold to an investment group, then purchased by the Vacaville Redevelopment Agency.

1980s-1990s: Home to Solano County Farm Bureau and the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce, vacant for a number of years, then briefly became the Sonoma Springs Brewing Company.

2021: Morne and Nicole Van Staden opened Journey Downtown in the Theater Deville next door and took an interest in the Carnegie Library.

2022: The Van Stadens purchased the old Carnegie Library and it became part of their downtown operations. It was remodeled with a bar, furniture, bookshelves, wood-fired pizza in the patio area, and over 5000 books.  Configured to be a comfortable place to hang out and visit, The Library has become a popular gathering place, with a variety of community events every month.

Credits: Above information is summarized from the Vacaville Heritage Council and The Reporter archives.