{"nrhp_refnum":"05001337","name":"Franklin Carnegie Library","other_names":["Carnegie Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"315 East Decherd","address_restricted":false,"city":"Franklin","county":"Robertson County","state":"TX","lat":31.02914257900005,"lon":-96.48434328099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-11-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-story Italian Renaissance red-brick library with a raised basement at 315 East Decherd in Franklin, Robertson County, Texas, built in 1914 with Carnegie Corporation funds and designed by architect Wayne Patterson.","why_significant":"It is one of thirty-two libraries built in Texas with Carnegie funds and reflects the Carnegie program's design guidelines. It is also tied to the Franklin Public School, which used the building from 1918 until 1984. It is a good example of an Italian Renaissance Carnegie library and closely resembles the 1914 Carnegie Library in Palestine, Texas.","narrative":"Built in 1914 in downtown Franklin, this red-brick, one-story library with a raised basement was funded by the Carnegie Corporation after the city applied in 1913 and was offered $7,500. Architect Wayne Patterson of Temple designed it in the Italian Renaissance manner, with symmetrical elevations, tall arched windows framed in buff brick, deep bracketed eaves and a low metal roof imitating red clay tile. Carnegie officials rejected the first plans, which gave too much space to a lecture room, and approved revised drawings in July 1913. The building served as a library only briefly. From 1918 until 1984 it housed the neighboring Franklin Public School, with classrooms upstairs and shop classes and other uses in the basement. After a 1986 rehabilitation it again serves as a library for the city and county. It closely resembles the Palestine, Texas, Carnegie library completed the same year. The exterior remains largely intact, though maintenance and basement water problems are noted.","period_of_significance":"1914-1955","architect_builder":"Wayne Patterson, Architect","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Italian Renaissance","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Restored in 1986 and returned to library use; the form notes a current lack of maintenance and recurring basement water problems.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.116694-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/74/9732/40973274/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/05001337.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001337/afaf99bed3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001337/afaf99bed3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franklin_carnegie_library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franklin_carnegie_library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973274","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Carnegie_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5491348"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/robertson-county/franklin-carnegie-library-05001337/"}