{"nrhp_refnum":"74001239","name":"Richmond Memorial Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"19 Ross St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Batavia","county":"Genesee County","state":"NY","lat":42.997833410000055,"lon":-78.17685543199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-07-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-one-half-story, L-shaped library at 19 Ross Street on the east side of Batavia, Genesee County, New York, built in 1887 of grey sandstone trimmed with red Albion sandstone.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is a superb provincial reflection of H. H. Richardson's village libraries near Boston, especially the Crane Memorial Library in Quincy. It was designed by Rochester architect James Goold Cutler as a memorial funded by the Richmond family. It shows how quickly Richardson's influence spread.","narrative":"Set on a quiet side street on Batavia's east side, this L-shaped Romanesque Revival library was built in 1887 of grey sandstone trimmed with red Albion sandstone. A polygonal red stone tower marks the northeast corner, and a broad arch frames the off-center entrance, with carved lettering above it and groups of arched windows in the gables. Inside, an oblong reading room with oak wainscoting and a fireplace remains much as described in 1900. The stone facing on the rear stack room was added in 1911 when that room was enlarged. Mary E. Richmond commissioned Rochester architect James Goold Cutler to design the building in memory of her son, Dean Richmond Jr. Cutler drew heavily on H. H. Richardson's village libraries near Boston, most closely the Crane Memorial Library in Quincy. The library is valued as a local architectural landmark and as evidence of how quickly Richardson's ideas spread across the region.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1887)","architect_builder":"James Goold Cutler","architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent and unaltered, on its original site; the form lists the present use as educational. The stone facing on the stack room was added in 1911 when that room was enlarged.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.562581-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74001239.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001239/24c15cba48-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001239/24c15cba48-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richmond_Memorial_Library_Oct_09.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richmond_Memorial_Library_Oct_09.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317912","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Memorial_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7330914"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/genesee-county/richmond-memorial-library-74001239/"}