{"nrhp_refnum":"84001722","name":"Rosenberg Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2310 Sealy St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Galveston","county":"Galveston County","state":"TX","lat":29.301138180000066,"lon":-94.79300778599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-08-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A multistory rusticated brick and stone public library at 2310 Sealy St. (23rd St. frontage) in Galveston, Texas, designed by William S. Eames and Thomas C. Young of St. Louis and dedicated in 1904, with a later wing added in 1971.","why_significant":"It has served as the Galveston public library since its 1904 dedication and was the first major public library in Texas, funded by banker and merchant Henry Rosenberg. Architecturally, the original building is unique among early Galveston buildings and the most intact public building from the early twentieth century. Its archival collection is important locally and statewide.","narrative":"Rosenberg Library is a multistory rusticated brick and stone building in Galveston, Texas, serving as the city's public library since its dedication on June 22, 1904. Swiss-born banker and merchant Henry Rosenberg provided the funds for what was the first major public library in Texas. St. Louis architects William S. Eames and Thomas C. Young designed it in the Second Renaissance Revival style, with Harry Devlin as contractor. The site was purchased in May 1901 and the cornerstone laid on October 18, 1902. The building has a modified I-shaped plan, a low-pitched tiled hipped roof, two-story arched openings with pediments carved with open books, and panels bearing authors' names. A statue of Rosenberg stands on the 23rd Street side. The Moody Memorial Wing, dedicated in 1971, is a plain light-stone addition that is not counted as contributing. The original building is considered unique among early Galveston buildings and the most intact public building of the early twentieth century, and the library's archives matter locally and statewide.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"William S. Eames & Thomas C. Young, St. Louis (architects); Harry Devlin (contractor); Thomas M. Price, architect of wing","architectural_style":"Second Renaissance Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Present use is public library; condition listed as excellent. The later addition is not a contributing element.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.824481-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/9691/40969193/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/84001722.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001722/5a3b9520a1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001722/5a3b9520a1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"i_am_jim","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Rosenberg_Library_--_Galveston.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">i_am_jim</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:The_Rosenberg_Library_--_Galveston.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969193","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenberg_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7368534"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/galveston-county/rosenberg-library-84001722/"}