{"nrhp_refnum":"03000352","name":"Oregon Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"300 Jefferson St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oregon","county":"Ogle County","state":"IL","lat":42.01342136400007,"lon":-89.33009904999994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-05-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story buff and red brick Carnegie library at 300 Jefferson Street in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois, designed by the Chicago firm Pond and Pond and opened to the public in 1909.","why_significant":"It qualifies under Criterion A for education, having provided library services to the community after residents voted in 1905 to qualify for a Carnegie grant. It also qualifies under Criterion C as an Arts and Crafts building by Allen and Irving Pond, charter members of the Chicago Arts and Crafts Society. It is one of only two Illinois libraries by the firm.","narrative":"Oregon Public Library, at 300 Jefferson Street, is a two-story brick building with a full basement, designed by the Chicago firm Pond and Pond (Allen and Irving Pond). Its buff brick walls carry red brick belt courses and patterned bands under the gables. Massing is asymmetrical, with a central gabled block and two one-story wings. Inside, coffered and exposed-beam ceilings, dark hand-crafted woodwork and wooden staircases reflect the Arts and Crafts movement. A second-floor gallery was included partly at the urging of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony. The library grew from a collection once kept in rented rooms. Residents voted in 1905 to switch to a township library so they could qualify for an Andrew Carnegie grant, which rose to $10,000, and services began in 1909. The building is one of two Illinois libraries by the Ponds. It still serves as a library, meeting space and gallery, and its period of significance runs from 1908 to 1953.","period_of_significance":"1908-1953","architect_builder":"Pond, Allen and Pond, Irving","architectural_style":"Late 19th & Early 20th Century American Movements: Other: Arts and Crafts","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a library, meeting hall and museum/gallery; the integrity is described as largely intact despite minor alterations such as a 2001 roof overlay.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.281107-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/99/8913/28891399/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/03000352.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000352/8997a5af89-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000352/8997a5af89-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Andy McMurray","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogle_County_Oregon_Public_Library_Oregon_Il1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Andy McMurray</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogle_County_Oregon_Public_Library_Oregon_Il1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891399","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7101300"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/ogle-county/oregon-public-library-03000352/"}