{"nrhp_refnum":"83002021","name":"Paulding County Carnegie Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"205 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Paulding","county":"Paulding County","state":"OH","lat":41.13616273700006,"lon":-84.57900141999994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-04-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Carnegie library with a full basement, built of French gray pressed brick with Bedford Indiana stone trim, at 205 South Main Street in Paulding, Ohio. Its plan is an inverted T, and it was built between 1912 and 1914.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the first county library funded by Andrew Carnegie, since earlier grants had gone only to cities and towns of over 2,000 people. It reflects the Carnegie Foundation's shifting grant and architectural policies, including James Bertram's call for modest, efficient designs. It also shows Beaux Arts Classicism influence and serves as a civic landmark for the county seat.","narrative":"Paulding County's Carnegie library is a one-story brick building with a full basement at 205 South Main Street, built between 1912 and 1914. Columbus architects Howard and Merriam designed it in an inverted T plan, using French gray pressed brick with Bedford Indiana stone trim. The facade carries stringcourses, a dentilled cornice, corner pilasters and round cartouches, and the stone arched entrance is flanked by Palladian windows. Inside, a central lobby opens onto three book rooms, with oak woodwork and fireplaces carved with scholar's lamp and laurel wreath motifs. The library matters because it was the first county library funded by Andrew Carnegie; earlier grants went only to cities and towns of more than 2,000 people. Its modest, efficient design follows the guidance of Carnegie's secretary James Bertram, while its massing and ornament show Beaux Arts Classicism. It sits in a grassy park beside Flat Rock Creek and remains a public building owned by the county.","period_of_significance":"1912-1914","architect_builder":"Howard & Merriam (architects, Columbus); a plaque lists Howard B. Merriam as architect and Willing Bros. as builders","architectural_style":"Carnegie Library style with Beaux Arts Classicism influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in use as a library, in good condition, on its original site and unaltered at the time of nomination.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.826933-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/83002021.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002021/70a9c9b32c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002021/70a9c9b32c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Christopher L. Riley","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paulding_County_Carnegie_Library_%E2%80%94_Paulding,_Ohio.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Christopher L. Riley</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paulding_County_Carnegie_Library_%E2%80%94_Paulding,_Ohio.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100010114","name":"Paulding Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/paulding-downtown-historic-district-100010114/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990857","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulding_County_Carnegie_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14716776"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/paulding-county/paulding-county-carnegie-library-83002021/"}