{"nrhp_refnum":"82003643","name":"Canton Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"236 3rd St., SW.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Canton","county":"Stark County","state":"OH","lat":40.797334610000064,"lon":-81.37678715899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-07-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Neo-Classical public library building at 236 Third Street SW in Canton, Stark County, Ohio, built 1903-5 to a design by Canton architect Guy Tilden.","why_significant":"The building is one of only a few surviving works by Guy Tilden, who practised in Northeast Ohio for about 40 years. It is his closest approach to Beaux Arts classicism and was funded by a Carnegie grant. As most of Tilden's buildings have been demolished, it increasingly symbolizes how his career was tied to Canton's industrial growth.","narrative":"Built in 1903-5, the Canton Public Library at 236 Third Street SW is a two-story Neo-Classical building of grey Roman pressed brick and Bedford limestone. Its recessed central entry carries a balustrade, an arcaded window and a pediment inscribed \"Open to All.\" Inside, a skylighted rotunda has enriched plaster work, brass fittings and marble veneer. The building was designed by Guy Tilden, a Canton architect active for about forty years, whose prize-winning plan was chosen over competing entries. Frank Case, president of the Canton Library Association and a client of Tilden, helped influence the choice. A $60,000 Carnegie grant paid for construction, and for 80 years the building held the major library collection for Canton and later Stark County. Because most of Tilden's work has been demolished, the library has become a key surviving example of his career. It now stands in a cleared downtown area and is planned for reuse as offices.","period_of_significance":"1903-5","architect_builder":"Guy Tilden","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical (Beaux Arts classicism)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as unoccupied; one of two remaining historic buildings in a cleared urban renewal area and slated for adaptive reuse as office space.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.113787-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/82003643.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003643/c52f6ee8c8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003643/c52f6ee8c8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canton_Public_Library,_236_3rd_St.,_SW,_Canton,_OH_7-23-2010_12-40-20_PM.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</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:Canton_Public_Library,_236_3rd_St.,_SW,_Canton,_OH_7-23-2010_12-40-20_PM.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986192","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5033911"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/stark-county/canton-public-library-82003643/"}