{"nrhp_refnum":"85001967","name":"Carnegie Free Library, Beaver Falls","other_names":["Carnegie Library of Beaver Falls"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1301 7th Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Beaver Falls","county":"Beaver County","state":"PA","lat":40.75297967400007,"lon":-80.31935647199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Neo-Classical public library building at 1301 7th Avenue in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, on a corner lot. It was built in 1899 with funds from Andrew Carnegie and designed by Frederick J. Osterling.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is a good example of Neo-Classical architecture and one of the larger Carnegie libraries in Pennsylvania. It is described as one of the last monumental Carnegie library buildings, and it has served as an educational and cultural center for Beaver County.","narrative":"Built in 1899 on a corner lot in Beaver Falls, the two-story library is a Neo-Classical building of yellow brick with terra cotta trim, a granite-faced foundation, and a full-height pedimented portico with two colossal columns on its main facade. Architect Frederick J. Osterling designed it for a library association that had earlier operated from a local grocery. Andrew Carnegie provided $50,000 for the building after a fifteen-year local campaign. Its large scale and classical detailing set it apart from the smaller, cottage-style Carnegie libraries built after about 1905. Inside, hand-carved woodwork includes Ionic columns and mantels, and the interior retains much of its original trim. The library hosted lectures, high school commencements, musicals and talent shows on its stage for much of the early twentieth century, making it a focal point of cultural life in Beaver County.","period_of_significance":"1899","architect_builder":"Frederick J. Osterling (architect)","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The auditorium was converted to a reading and stack room in 1961, and the roof was replaced with asphalt shingle; the building remains in use as a library, with a local museum housed in the basement meeting room.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.550855-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/85001967.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001967/ad18bf0f26-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001967/ad18bf0f26-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Mvincec","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carnegie_Free_Library_in_Beaver_Falls.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Mvincec</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carnegie_Free_Library_in_Beaver_Falls.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994581","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Free_Library_of_Beaver_Falls","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5043896"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/beaver-county/carnegie-free-library-beaver-falls-85001967/"}