{"nrhp_refnum":"80001384","name":"Lincoln Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"725 Pekin St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lincoln","county":"Logan County","state":"IL","lat":40.147360125000034,"lon":-89.36131644399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Carnegie-funded public library building at 725 Pekin Street in Lincoln, Logan County, Illinois, built in 1903 to designs by W. A. Otis of Chicago and owned by the City of Lincoln.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a well-preserved, continuously used Carnegie library and a local example of Neo-Classical Revival design with practical adaptations such as a raisable stack ceiling, bow windows and local brick. It also represents the early free library movement, which combined private national wealth, local initiative and cultural ideals, and recognizes local benefactors such as Isabel Nash and Stephen A. Foley.","narrative":"Lincoln Public Library, at 725 Pekin Street, is a Carnegie-funded library completed in 1903 and designed by Chicago architect W. A. Otis. The city received a $25,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie in 1901, and the Lincoln Library Association chose a classical design. The building is red mottled brick with stone trim, a light red tile hipped roof and a tetrastyle portico with Tuscan-like shafts and composite capitals. Inside, oak woodwork, two oval bays and a stained-glass dome over the circulation desk mark the main floor. The design departs from strict classical rules in practical ways: the rear facade is plain brick with tall arched windows meant to allow a higher stack-room ceiling, and bow windows and local brick replace stone. Land for the site came partly from a bequest by Isabel Nash, and Stephen A. Foley oversaw construction. Still used as a library, it illustrates the early free library movement in Illinois, where Lincoln's grant was the sixth of 105 statewide.","period_of_significance":"1903","architect_builder":"W. A. Otis, Chicago","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in continuous use as a library; condition listed as excellent, with the basement remodeled and opened in 1972-1974.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.098164-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/85/8934/28893485/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001384.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001384/e239c40e4e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001384/e239c40e4e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Public_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Public_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893485","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Public_Library_(Lincoln,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14687796"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/logan-county/lincoln-public-library-80001384/"}