{"nrhp_refnum":"74001282","name":"Niagara Falls Public Library","other_names":["Carnegie Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1022 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Niagara Falls","county":"Niagara County","state":"NY","lat":43.098869826000055,"lon":-79.05422611999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-06-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Carnegie-funded public library at 1022 Main Street, Niagara Falls, New York, built 1902-04 of yellow brick with stone trim on a high stone basement, designed by local architect E.E. Joralemon.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a turn-of-the-century example of the public libraries endowed by Andrew Carnegie, plain and grim outside but ornate inside. It also notes the library's local history, including an early collection for the blind and the highest circulation per capita in New York State at its 1904 opening. The largely intact interior is a key part of its importance.","narrative":"Built between 1902 and 1904 on Main Street in Niagara Falls, this Carnegie library is a one-story building of yellow brick with stone trim, set on a high stone basement. Its seven-bay front has a recessed, pedimented entrance flanked by two stone Ionic columns, and a heavy stone cornice emphasizes the horizontal lines. At the rear, the plan curves out in a semicircle. Local architect E.E. Joralemon designed it to hold 50,000 volumes, and George B. Long was the contractor. Andrew Carnegie's $50,000 grant of 1901 paid for it, on condition that the city spend $7,000 a year on upkeep. Most of the money went into the interior, which has quartered oak, marble, plaster pilasters and moldings, and skylights. The collection grew to 116,000 volumes by 1950, and the lower-level auditorium became stack space. The library was known for books for the blind and for a microfilm service for bedridden readers.","period_of_significance":"1902-04","architect_builder":"E.E. Joralemon, architect; George B. Long, contractor; F.W. Oliver Company, plumbing and electrical work","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent to good condition and unaltered on its original site; the form says it was to be vacated soon for a new library, with plans to convert it to a city arts center.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:38.736154-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74001282.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001282/d6bed43b06-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001282/d6bed43b06-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Niagara_Falls_Public_Library_Jun_09.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Niagara_Falls_Public_Library_Jun_09.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320131","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Library_(Niagara_Falls,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7023679"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/niagara-county/niagara-falls-public-library-74001282/"}