Often asked Questions

Who are the people in the portraits?

Mr. Herbert and Mrs. Elizabeth Kraft who had the library built in memory of her late husband.  What I find so endearing about Mrs. Kraft’s photograph is her smile.  It seems rare to see people smiling in old photos.  Her portrait draws your attention and you just know she must have had a warm heart. 

Who were the Krafts?

Mr. Herbert Kraft came to Red Bluff as a tinsmith, and not long after bought the hardware store owned by J.F. Moore.  With his intelligence, business savvy and the help of Mr. Moore, he built up a very successful business which he eventually sold and established a loan business, dba Herbert Kraft Company, which eventually became part of Bank of America.    He was reacquainted with Elizabeth Krouth on a trip to Louisville, Kentucky and married her on March 1, 1861.  They raised seven children in Red Bluff and with the wealth they had amassed were very philanthropic.

Judge John F. Ellison said of Mr. Herbert Kraft at the dedication of the library:  “In all these public positions he exercised the same business principles, the same integrity, and the same intelligence that he had displayed in the conduct of his private affairs and both town and county were the gainers by his official life… His business integrity was perfect.  An old fashioned kind of integrity; a kind never popular with the shiftless part of any community.  It was his idea that one should expect and have what rightfully belonged to him, and on the other hand should see to it that others rightfully received all that was rightfully theirs.…He was a power in the community where he lived, modest, unassuming – a good man, a good citizen, and his death was a great loss to the business world.”

At the dedication, Mrs. Galen Clark McCoy spoke on behalf of the Women’s Improvement Club regarding the Kraft family:  “The Kraft family is and ever has been fully identified with the history and progress of Red Bluff; the interests of Tehama County have been their interests; they have devoted their time and their wealth to the upbuilding and business interests of our town and today the sons of the family are numbered among our most worthy and influential citizens while the beautiful and accomplished daughters are honored as noble wives and mothers.

 Mrs. Elizabeth Kraft, the venerable and majestic mother, crowned with her snowy hair has spent the greater part of her life in performing the sweet womanly duties of wife and mother.  She now has the satisfaction of knowing the happy results of her benefactions, and as a fitting climax in a life of such inestimable value, she has purchased, builded (sic), and presented to the people of Red Bluff, the magnificent Kraft Library in memory of Herbert Kraft, which shall be to the grateful people of this community, a fitting monument to the memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Kraft, through all the years to come.” 

Who owns the Kraft building?

Katharine Gleim, who purchased it with her former husband in 1997.  She began the restoration in January of 2006 and completed it in September of the same year, just a few weeks before relocating her store, House of Design to the Kraft.  The Kraft has been a part of the community for 100 years and she feels, rather than owning it, she is just taking care of it for the next generation.

Is it a Carnegie Library?

No.  It is built in the Classic Revival Style, also known as Neoclassic, which is the same style as many of the Carnegie libraries.  The Kraft Memorial Free Library was funded by Elizabeth Kraft in memory of her late husband, Herbert Kraft. 

There were a total of 1,946 libraries built in the United States which were funded by the Carnegie Library foundation, and of those, 144 resided in California.  There are still 88 of them in existence in California.  The Carnegie Library foundation did not specify the architect or style to be used for a library it funded, rather leaving it to the city where it was being constructed. 

Does the Kraft have a ghost?

A few people have said they think it did, but we have not seen, felt, heard, or had any experiences that would indicate there is one at this point.  After 13 years in the Victorian house on Rio St. we have had plenty of experience with a ‘spirited’ building.  I have to say, as much as I am a ‘see it to believe it’ person, there simply is no other way to explain the experiences we had in our previous location.

Did we know the stained glass was in the ceiling?
Is the stained glass new?

It was not covered on the inside, so yes, the glass was visible.  We did not know exactly what it looked like until going into the attic and putting a light above it.  It was not until after the glass was removed, a new skylight put in place and the glass put back that we saw how beautiful it was when flooded with natural light.  It was a spectacular moment in the process.

How did they move the books between floors?

There is a dumbwaiter between all three floors that now serves as the electrical chase for the building.  There are many times the staff and I wish it were still functional!

Were the fireplaces always there?

Yes.  Three of them are in existence.  I have read reference to a fourth and have always suspected it might have existed due to the perfect symmetry of the building.  More research is needed to determine if there was one behind a set of bookcases on the northwest inner wall.  

How many floors are there?

Three.  The basement where books were stored and eventually held the Tehama County Museum for a period of time, the main floor and a small trustee room at the top, which leads to the attic access.  The basement shares the same footprint as the main floor, and is where we have our floral design studio, bookkeeping, and receiving.  It is also where we hold our Annual Basement Sale in May.

How many bookshelves were there?

Five freestanding oak bookcases on the north side of the main floor.  Three remain and two are stored for future use.

Did we put in a new floor?

No, the beautiful Douglas Fir floors were unfinished and hiding under the green battleship linoleum.  The acoustic qualities of the specialized linoleum are somewhat missed during our busy times by those of us in the basement, when it sounds like a heard of horses is running around upstairs!   

Who takes care of our beautiful lawns?

Greenday Irrigation

Who takes care of our gardens?

My staff and I.                                                 

Who did the restoration?

At 83 years of age, Lloyd Dietrich, who is an incredible craftsman and brought his vast experience to the project, was the general contractor.  He also brought a very talented group of contractors to do the specialized work and the rest of the project was accomplished by a team of talented, hard-working, get-it-done women who were, and some still are, a part of the group that makes up House of Design.