{"nrhp_refnum":"82001210","name":"Utica Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"303 Genesee St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Utica","county":"Oneida County","state":"NY","lat":43.09707686100006,"lon":-75.23872694499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-10-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story Neoclassical public library at 303 Genesee Street in downtown Utica, Oneida County, New York, designed in 1903 by Arthur C. Jackson of Carrère and Hastings and built of New Haven brick with limestone trim.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a significant example of turn-of-the-twentieth-century Neoclassical civic architecture. It is also important as a representative of the library science ideas of Melvil Dewey, who promoted libraries as community centers for education, art, theater and music. The building has served as a community center in Utica throughout the twentieth century.","narrative":"Utica Public Library, at 303 Genesee Street, is a five-story Neoclassical civic building designed in 1903 by Arthur C. Jackson of the New York firm Carrère and Hastings. Jackson, who was born and educated in Utica, won a competition judged with the help of Professor William R. Ware. The J. W. Bishop Company of Providence built it of New Haven brick with limestone foundation, cornice and quoins. A pedimented central pavilion with Corinthian columns marks the entrance. Inside, a five-story lobby has a barrel-vaulted ceiling, Ionic columns, marble staircases and wrought-iron railings, and the book stacks have glass floors. Local woodcarver Reinhold Pietsch contributed to the interior craftsmanship. The building reflects the ideas of Melvil Dewey, who promoted libraries as community centers with children's rooms, galleries and public halls. The Williams-Proctor families donated the site. The library opened in 1903 and was long one of the few adult educational institutions in the Utica area. It remains in use, with few alterations.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Arthur C. Jackson of Carrère and Hastings (architect); J. W. Bishop Company of Providence, Rhode Island (builder)","architectural_style":"Neoclassical","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a library; excellent condition, with the only significant alteration a handicapped-access ramp added at the rear in 1979.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:42.458577-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/82001210.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001210/b3ab6065e8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001210/b3ab6065e8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Upstate New York","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Utica_Public_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Upstate New York</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Utica_Public_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320267","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utica_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7902798"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/oneida-county/utica-public-library-82001210/"}