{"nrhp_refnum":"74002203","name":"Herring-Cole Hall, St. Lawrence University","other_names":["Herring Library and Cole Reading Room"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"St. Lawrence University campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Canton","county":"St. Lawrence County","state":"NY","lat":44.592378404000044,"lon":-75.16393403699993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-05-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A sandstone college library building on the St. Lawrence University campus in Canton, New York, built in two stages: the Herring Library in 1869 and the Cole Reading Room addition in 1902.","why_significant":"It is presented as a fusion of late nineteenth and early twentieth century architectural styles and was the second building constructed at the university. The modest 1869 library in the Italian style contrasts with the lavish 1902 reading room designed by Huberty and Hudswell. The reading room's intact oak interior and its continued use as a study space add to its importance.","narrative":"Herring-Cole Hall is a sandstone library building on the St. Lawrence University campus in Canton, New York. It was built in two stages. The Herring Library, a one-and-a-half-story building in the Italian style, was completed in 1869 with a gift from Silas Herring, maker of Champion Safes. Its architect is unknown. In 1902 the Cole Reading Room, funded by Edward Cole and designed by the New York firm of Huberty and Hudswell, was attached at right angles, giving the building a T-shaped plan and nearly doubling its size. The reading room is a single lofty space ringed by a gallery on Corinthian columns, with golden oak woodwork, exposed roof framing and a stained glass rose window showing the college seal. The library served the university until a new library opened in 1962. The building later held the Fine Arts Department and then the university archives, and the reading room is again used for study. The contrast between the two sections is the main reason for its significance.","period_of_significance":"19th and 20th centuries; specific dates 1869 (Library) and 1902 (Reading Room)","architect_builder":"Herring Library: architect unknown; Cole Reading Room: Huberty and Hudswell of New York City","architectural_style":"Italian style (Herring Library) combined with an early twentieth century classical-style reading room","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition marked excellent/good and altered. The reading room is again used for study and the building houses the university archives; restoration is gradual.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.160394-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74002203.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002203/1aa984aa22-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002203/1aa984aa22-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mwanner","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herring-Cole_Hall_St._Lawrence_University.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Mwanner</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herring-Cole_Hall_St._Lawrence_University.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321900","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herring%E2%80%93Cole_Hall,_St._Lawrence_University","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5744084"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/st-lawrence-county/herring-cole-hall-st-lawrence-university-74002203/"}