{"nrhp_refnum":"12000287","name":"Hepburn Library of Colton","other_names":["Colton-Hepburn Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"84 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Colton","county":"St. Lawrence County","state":"NY","lat":44.55496684500008,"lon":-74.93861466199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-05-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-story stone library building with a raised basement at 84 Main Street in the hamlet of Colton, St. Lawrence County, New York, built 1912-13 to designs by architect Ehrick Kensett Rossiter.","why_significant":"It was the first of seven community libraries in St. Lawrence County funded by Colton native Alonzo Barton Hepburn, and has served as a public library since its 1913 completion. It is also a largely intact example of small-scale Colonial Revival civic design with Arts & Crafts influence, and the work of architect E.K. Rossiter.","narrative":"Hepburn Library of Colton is a small stone library on Main Street in Colton, St. Lawrence County, built in 1912-13 and designed by New York City architect Ehrick Kensett Rossiter. Rough-hewn stone walls, a hipped roof with a wooden cupola, and a portico with two pairs of Ionic columns give it a Colonial Revival character with rustic Arts & Crafts touches. Inside, quarter-sawn oak woodwork, plaster surfaces and arcaded reading rooms survive from the 1910s. It was the first of seven libraries in the county financed by Alonzo Barton Hepburn, a Colton-born lawyer, banker and state official who began his career as a teacher. The building has operated as a library since its dedication in June 1913, and also served as a classroom in 1943 after a school fire. Its design closely echoes Rossiter's earlier Gunn Memorial Library in Connecticut. Later changes include replacement windows, a lift and a ramp enclosure.","period_of_significance":"c. 1912-1961","architect_builder":"Rossiter, Erick K., architect; Proctor Manufacturing Company, contractors.","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival; Late 19th & Early 20th Century American Movements: Arts & Crafts","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a library; the interior is largely intact, with modern changes including replacement windows, a lift, a c. 2002 accessibility addition and a dropped ceiling on the lower level.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.599535-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/12000287.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321898","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepburn_Library_of_Colton","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23091777"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/st-lawrence-county/hepburn-library-of-colton-12000287/"}