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In the late 1880s, Andrew Carnegie, who made his vast fortune as a steel industrialist, also had another side as a philanthropist. Between 1881 and 1920, he donated funds to 1,678 libraries throughout the United States. The Carnegie Art Museum was a beneficiary of his generous donation.
With the completion of a new modern library in Oxnard in 1963, the Carnegie building ceased to function as a library and served as quarters for the Chamber of Commerce, the Visitor's Bureau and the Art Club of Oxnard. In 1971 the structure was declared a Ventura County landmark and enrolled in the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the years renovation has seen a three-story addition on the east side of the edifice. In 1978 Federal funds were used to remodel and refurbish the building to its original grandeur. When the building reopened in 1980, in the entryway hung a chandelier dating back to the original building. The name of the building became the Carnegie Art Museum.
Members of the Oxnard Art Club began collecting art in 1924 and as part of the present art collection, there are 350 paintings, drawings, and photographs along with 350 ethnographic artifacts. As part of the museum's community outreach program, there is a traveling exhibit that changes every two months. Additionally, the museum sponsors a concert, Sunday Afternoon Jazz at the Carnegie, history and cultural lectures, art classes for children, a hands-on workshop tour for school children and gallery talks.
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