{"nrhp_refnum":"73000713","name":"Flagg Township Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE corner 7th St. at 4th Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rochelle","county":"Ogle County","state":"IL","lat":41.92335418600004,"lon":-89.06815572299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-10-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Carnegie-funded public library on a raised basement at the northeast corner of Seventh Street and Fourth Avenue in Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois, built in 1912 and designed by the firm Claude and Starck.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is an excellent early modern design created despite a small budget and Carnegie's restrictions. Its proportions, ornament, polygonal bays and basement window openings relate it to Louis Sullivan, while its broad eaves, wood detailing, low hipped roof and interior layout tie it to the Prairie School.","narrative":"Built in 1912 at the northeast corner of Seventh Street and Fourth Avenue in Rochelle, this one-story library sits on a raised basement and is faced in brownish-red mottled brick with raked joints. A limestone string course runs below the windows, and panels of greenish-white Sullivanesque ornament fill the space beneath the wide eaves, which are topped by a green tile roof. Inside, the reading room has an oak librarian's desk, oak stacks, a brick fireplace and a nearly continuous band of leaded glass windows. Andrew Carnegie gave ten thousand dollars toward construction, on condition that the town provide a thousand dollars a year for upkeep and that he approve the plans. His specifications left only the exterior design and materials to the architects, Claude and Starck, who are said to have once worked as draftsmen for Louis Sullivan. The building is valued for blending Sullivan-related details with Prairie School features within tight limits. Alterations have been minor, and it remains a library owned by Flagg Township.","period_of_significance":"1912","architect_builder":"Claude and Starck","architectural_style":"Early modern, related to Louis Sullivan and the Prairie School","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition, occupied and in use as a library, with few and minor alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.209036-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/99/8937/28893799/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/73000713.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000713/a241d12b45-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000713/a241d12b45-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Andy McMurray","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochelle_Flagg_Library2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Andy McMurray</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochelle_Flagg_Library2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893799","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagg_Township_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5456934"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/ogle-county/flagg-township-public-library-73000713/"}