{"nrhp_refnum":"85001498","name":"Olean Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"116 S. Union St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Olean","county":"Cattaraugus County","state":"NY","lat":42.07682178500005,"lon":-78.43020811099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-07-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, yellow-pressed brick Carnegie library at 116 South Union Street in Olean, Cattaraugus County, New York, built in 1909 and designed by architect Edward L. Tilton in the Beaux-Arts style.","why_significant":"It is argued to be architecturally significant as a well-crafted, architect-designed Beaux-Arts building in Olean, with a symmetrical composition and rich classical ornament. It is also a Carnegie library, one of eighty-four costing over $40,000, and an example of the work of Edward L. Tilton, a New York City architect who specialized in libraries. It served as the city's most widely used educational, cultural and social institution from 1909 until 1973.","narrative":"Built in 1909 on South Union Street in Olean, this two-story library of yellow-pressed brick with a red pantile hipped roof was funded by Andrew Carnegie, whose gift grew from $25,000 to $40,000. New York City architect Edward L. Tilton, trained in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, designed it in the Beaux-Arts style. The facade has a central round-arched entrance, terra-cotta moldings, cartouches and a bust of Athena. Inside, four large rooms surround an octagonal atrium with fluted oak pilasters, and original oak woodwork, fixtures and a marble and oak stairway survive. The building replaced a library housed in the law office of George V. Forman, who donated it in 1899. It served as the city's main educational, cultural and social institution until 1973 and has housed a restaurant since 1983. Its architectural integrity and its link to Tilton's library work make it a local landmark.","period_of_significance":"1909","architect_builder":"Edward L. Tilton","architectural_style":"Beaux-Arts","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied; used as a restaurant since 1983. Interior described as virtually intact, with a 1983 rear kitchen and banquet addition and an elevator.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.447955-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85001498.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001498/632acb52d3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001498/632acb52d3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olean_Public_Library_Apr_10.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olean_Public_Library_Apr_10.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316660","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olean_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7085969"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/cattaraugus-county/olean-public-library-85001498/"}