{"nrhp_refnum":"05001143","name":"Alta Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"12510 Mayfield Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cleveland","county":"Cuyahoga County","state":"OH","lat":41.50822230000006,"lon":-81.59586000499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-10-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Education","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-story red brick library and recreation building at 12510 Mayfield Road in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, built 1912-14 behind the Alta House settlement house and designed by George B. Post & Sons.","why_significant":"It is significant under Criterion A for social history, education and entertainment/recreation. It was built with funds and land from John D. Rockefeller Sr. to house a Cleveland Public Library branch and recreation facilities serving the Italian immigrant community. It reflects the national settlement house movement and continued as a community facility.","narrative":"Alta Public Library, now part of the Alta House community center, sits on Mayfield Road in Cleveland's Little Italy. Built between 1912 and 1914 behind the original Alta House settlement house, it was designed by the New York firm George B. Post & Sons and paid for by John D. Rockefeller Sr., who also provided the land. The one-story red brick building has Classical detailing, stone and brick cornices, and tall round-arch windows. It held a Cleveland Public Library branch with a large Italian book collection in the south half, and a gymnasium, pool, and boxing ring in the north half and basement. These facilities were unusual for the neighborhood and served a largely Italian immigrant population. The library and Alta House co-owned the building until the library closed in 1982, after which Alta House occupied all of it. Its historic layout, high ceilings, and wood floors largely survive, and it remains a social and recreational center for the community.","period_of_significance":"1914-1955","architect_builder":"George B. Post & Sons","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Exterior in good condition with most historic fabric intact; first-floor spaces in good condition, though the basement pool has deteriorated and is used for storage. Used as Alta House, a community center.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.400702-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/05001143.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001143/603cbdd23c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001143/603cbdd23c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Tim Evanson from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Askew_entrance_-_Alta_House-Alta_Public_Library_(34897341312).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Evanson from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, USA</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:Askew_entrance_-_Alta_House-Alta_Public_Library_(34897341312).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12000897","name":"Euclid Heights Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/euclid-heights-historic-district-12000897/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987943","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4735995"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/cuyahoga-county/alta-public-library-05001143/"}