{"nrhp_refnum":"06000363","name":"Terrell Carnegie Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"207 N. Frances St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Terrell","county":"Kaufman County","state":"TX","lat":32.74008873400004,"lon":-96.27845827899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-05-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Classical Revival library building at 207 N. Frances Street in Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas, built in 1903-04 and designed by architects Howard Messer and S. Weymess-Smith of Waco.","why_significant":"It is one of 32 libraries built in Texas with Carnegie funds and one of only twelve that still stand. It is significant for its link to the Carnegie library program (Social History) and as an outstanding example of a Carnegie library in Classical Revival design (Architecture).","narrative":"Built in 1903-04, this two-story buff brick library at 207 N. Frances Street in Terrell, Texas, was funded by a Carnegie Corporation grant after local women's clubs pushed for a public library. Architects Howard Messer and S. Weymess-Smith of Waco designed it, and Goodman and Anderson built it. It opened to the public on March 15, 1904. The Classical Revival design features paired Ionic columns at a shallow central portico, tall arched windows, brick quoins, and a balustraded parapet. Inside are a marble-floored foyer, twin staircases, original stamped metal ceilings, and a second-floor auditorium. The building served as Terrell's public library for about eight decades. Since the mid-1980s it has housed the Terrell Heritage Museum, with artifacts and an archive of local history. Restoration work in the 1980s and early 2000s kept its appearance close to the original. It is one of 32 Carnegie libraries built in Texas and one of twelve that survive, and it is a prominent public building in the city.","period_of_significance":"1904-1956","architect_builder":"Messer & Weymess-Smith, architects; Goodman & Anderson, builder","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Houses the Terrell Heritage Museum, which leases the building; the public library moved out in the mid-1980s. The building has been restored, and its floor plan is unchanged.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.40864-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/46/9727/40972746/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/06000363.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000363/83f0603851-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000363/83f0603851-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CarnegieLibraryTerrell1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CarnegieLibraryTerrell1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972746","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1492110"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/kaufman-county/terrell-carnegie-library-06000363/"}