{"nrhp_refnum":"83001797","name":"Davenport Library","other_names":["101-42-0028"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W. Morris St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bath","county":"Steuben County","state":"NY","lat":42.33286732300007,"lon":-77.32415942099993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-09-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick building on a raised basement on West Morris Street in Bath, Steuben County, New York. Built about 1830 as a residence, it was remodeled around 1900 and now serves as a library.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its association with the Davenport family, a wealthy and philanthropic Bath family of the nineteenth century. It also describes the building as a local landmark and an early twentieth century center of cultural and educational activity. Its first owner, John McGee, was an important early settler.","narrative":"Davenport Library is a two-story brick building on a raised basement, set on a 2.5-acre lot on the sparsely settled southern edge of Bath, New York. It began about 1830 as a Greek Revival residence built by John McGee, an early settler who organized the Steuben County Bank, helped bring the railroad to Bath and served two terms in Congress. By 1857 it had been remodeled in an elaborate Italianate manner, with paired brackets, a cupola and a portico. Ambrose Howell, a local merchant, acquired it in 1863. Ira Davenport bought it in 1893 and turned it over to the village as a library. It was remodeled again, showing Colonial Revival influence, while keeping details such as the wide frieze with egg and dart molding and a denticular cornice. The Davenport family is noted for founding the Home for Orphan Girls and for bringing the Soldiers' Home to Bath. The library passed to the Library Association after Davenport's death in 1904 and remains an early twentieth century cultural and educational center.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect: Unknown; Builder: Unknown (the form says the residence was constructed c. 1830 by John McGee)","architectural_style":"Originally Greek Revival, later Italianate, then remodeled with Colonial Revival influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Present use is a library, in fair condition, on its original site, with no threats known.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:41.982584-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/83001797.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001797/f3d075f434-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001797/f3d075f434-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Davenport_Library_Oct_09.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Davenport_Library_Oct_09.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75314741","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davenport_Library_(Bath,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5230247"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/steuben-county/davenport-library-83001797/"}