The Lincoln Heights Branch Library is an outstanding example of the Carnegie Grant Buildings built during the first phase of Branch construction between 1911 and 1916. Its striking appearance is due to a quatri-circular floor plan, with the concave curve of the facade oriented toward the intersection at the corner of the parcel. The shape and detail of the facade is based upon the Villa Papa Giulio in Rome, an early Papal residence, and now the Macedonian Art Museum in Rome. This literal translation of an Italian building alludes to the early history of Lincoln Heights as an Italian-American neighborhood. Prior to subdivision, most of Lincoln Heights was planted in vineyards which were attended by pioneer Italian American families.