{"nrhp_refnum":"04000841","name":"Givin, Amelia S., Free Library","other_names":["Mount Holly Springs Public Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"114 N. Baltimore Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mt. Holly Springs","county":"Cumberland County","state":"PA","lat":40.11636888100003,"lon":-77.18888255699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-08-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Romanesque Revival library building on North Baltimore Avenue at the southeast corner of Church Street in Mt. Holly Springs, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It was constructed in 1889 and dedicated on January 2, 1890, and it has a 1987 brick addition to the rear.","why_significant":"The library is significant as the first public library in Cumberland County and as a well-preserved example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style in the borough. Its interior includes oak Moorish fretwork partitions, which the nomination describes as remarkably intact. The building is also tied to the philanthropy of Amelia S. Givin, who funded it from family paper-mill wealth.","narrative":"Built in 1889 and dedicated on January 2, 1890, the Amelia S. Givin Free Library is a one-story Romanesque Revival building on North Baltimore Avenue in Mt. Holly Springs. Pittsburgh architect James T. Steen designed it with broad round arches, a two-story conical-roofed tower, and walls of sandstone and brick. Amelia Givin funded the library from wealth derived from family paper mills and rug factories, and it was the first public library in Cumberland County. Its main reading room features oak Moorish fretwork partitions, a patented technique that the library's interior woodwork maker, C.S. Ransom & Company of Cleveland, produced. The original interior, including the fretwork, tile floor and fireplaces, remains largely intact. A 1987 brick addition to the east holds the stacks and a meeting room, and the library has operated continuously since it opened.","period_of_significance":"1889-1954","architect_builder":"Steen, James T. (architect); Rice, George (builder)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian; Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"In continuous public library use since its construction; original exterior and interior features are described as well maintained.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:10:27.270265-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/04000841.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000841/7a35fd3bfd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000841/7a35fd3bfd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amelia_S._Givin_Free_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amelia_S._Givin_Free_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996650","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_S._Givin_Free_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4742302"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/cumberland-county/givin-amelia-s-free-library-04000841/"}