{"nrhp_refnum":"73001585","name":"Carnegie Free Library Of Braddock","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"419 Library St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Braddock","county":"Allegheny County","state":"PA","lat":40.40184550650005,"lon":-79.86546729314853,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-06-19","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"2012-03-02","areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Romanesque Revival public library in Braddock, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, built of coursed brownstone. It was the first library endowed through Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building illustrates the Richardsonian Romanesque manner of large, asymmetrical, multi-level, rock-face brownstone architecture. It is also presented as the first Carnegie-endowed library, the start of a program that the form says aided or established over 2,800 libraries.","narrative":"Built of coursed brownstone in the Romanesque style, the Carnegie Free Library of Braddock stands in Braddock, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its massing is asymmetrical, with a small three-story gabled front flanked by two two-story conical turrets, a four-story octagonal tower set back to the right, and a rear group of hip-roofed sections. Rough-faced brownstone blocks, flat stone lintels, and a semicircular main entrance arch with a keystone give it its character, and the facade carries an entangled floral stone ornament and the inscription \"Carnegie Library.\" The front is attributed to William Halsey Wood, who worked in the manner of H.H. Richardson, and the rear is most likely by Alden and Harlow. Construction took place in 1888-89 and 1893. Its significance lies in its architecture, an example of the Richardsonian rock-faced brownstone style, and in its history as the first library funded by Andrew Carnegie, the start of a philanthropic program that the document says aided or established more than 2,800 libraries.","period_of_significance":"1888-1893","architect_builder":"William Halsey Wood (architect of the front); Alden and Harlow (most likely the rear)","architectural_style":"Romanesque","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Original site; the form describes later frame picture windows on the first floor of both turret sections.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.515712-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/73001585.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001585/6ed846d29e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001585/6ed846d29e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0 us","author":"Christopher Rolinson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BCL_1024x768.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Christopher Rolinson</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0 us</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BCL_1024x768.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994732","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braddock_Carnegie_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5043897"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/allegheny-county/carnegie-free-library-of-braddock-73001585/"}