{"nrhp_refnum":"03001162","name":"Carver, George Washington, Library and Auditorium","other_names":["Carver Community Cultural Center"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"226 N. Hackberry St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Antonio","county":"Bexar County","state":"TX","lat":29.422286428000064,"lon":-98.47279183699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-11-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Performing Arts","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one- and two-story brown brick Art Deco library and auditorium at 226 North Hackberry Street in San Antonio, Texas, built in 1929 as the Colored Branch of the San Antonio Library and Auditorium, with additions in 1950 and 1986.","why_significant":"It served as a gathering place for San Antonio's African American community during segregation and hosted leading Black performers, speakers and community events. It is also a good, well-preserved example of an Art Deco public building with Egyptian Revival detailing. It is described as a prominent physical reminder of segregation in the city.","narrative":"Built in 1929 on San Antonio's near-east side, this brown brick building with cast stone trim and Egyptian Revival detailing was constructed as the Colored Branch of the San Antonio Library and Auditorium. It replaced a recreation center opened in 1919 for returning World War I soldiers, and the city bought the site in 1925 and opened a library branch there. The new building, designed by Carl Von Seutter and Malcolm Simons, opened in 1930 and was named for George Washington Carver in 1938. Until desegregation it served as an educational and social center for the city's African American community. Its auditorium hosted performers such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, along with political and religious speakers, dances and graduations. The library closed in 1973, and the building reopened in 1976 as a cultural center. Additions came in 1950 and 1986. Its significance spans 1929 to 1954, the year the city integrated its public facilities, and it retains much of its original character.","period_of_significance":"1929-1954","architect_builder":"Seutter & Simons (1929); Leo M.J. Dielmann (1950); Haywood, Jordan, McGowan (1975-76; 1986)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Art Deco","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed in 2000 for renovation (code compliance, structural repairs, restoration of finishes); scheduled to reopen in early 2004. Current function is auditorium/performance venue.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.148443-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/67/9712/40971267/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/03001162.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03001162/64de3c32ff-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03001162/64de3c32ff-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"The Committee Against Mercenary Recruitment","credit_html":"The Committee Against Mercenary Recruitment, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flyer_for_Steve_Biko_Memorial_at_the_Carver_Cultural_Center.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971267","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001590"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bexar-county/carver-george-washington-library-and-auditorium-03001162/"}