Originally the only library in East San Jose, built for $7,000 in 1907, the library joined the City of San Jose system when East San Jose was annexed by San Jose. The original building was renovated and added to in 1981. In 1990, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Another renovation of the branch, including a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) addition to the original historic structure, was begun on February 14, 2008. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly reopened branch took place at 11:00am on August 29, 2009. The East San Jose Carnegie Library received LEED Silver certification and the 2010 Citation Award as a Distinguished Building in the adaptive re-use/renovation project category by the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.[3]