{"nrhp_refnum":"85002845","name":"Rundel Memorial Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"115 South Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rochester","county":"Monroe County","state":"NY","lat":43.15379416300004,"lon":-77.61812919699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A monumental three-story-plus-basement public library at 115 South Avenue in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, built 1932-1935 on the east bank of the Genesee River to designs by Gordon and Kaelber.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an exceptionally distinguished example of Depression-era civic architecture, combining Beaux-Arts planning and massing with Art Deco detailing. It is also notable for its engineering, as it was built over an operating mill race and the city's subway line. It is one of the most important works of the prominent Rochester firm Gordon and Kaelber.","narrative":"Rundel Memorial Library, at 115 South Avenue in Rochester, is a three-story-plus-basement civic building framed in reinforced concrete and faced in smooth Indiana limestone. Built between 1932 and 1935, it was designed by the Rochester firm Gordon and Kaelber. Its east facade has a central pavilion with engaged Doric columns, flanked by pylon-like towers with stylized relief figures, bronze doors and black marble spandrels with Art Deco detail. The rear elevation drops to the Genesee River, where an arcaded granite sub-basement encloses a power canal and spillway. Funding came from Morton W. Rundel's 1912 bequest to the city, freed from litigation in 1932 and supplemented by a Public Works Administration grant. The design joins Beaux-Arts massing with Art Deco ornament, and in 1982 the New York State Association of Architects named it among the state's seven most important architectural statements of 1931 to 1961. The foundation had to clear an active mill race and subway line below. The interior remains largely intact, with walnut paneling and a marble lobby.","period_of_significance":"1932-1935","architect_builder":"Gordon and Kaelber (architect); builder unknown","architectural_style":"Modernized Beaux-Arts Classicism with Art Deco detailing","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a library; condition listed as excellent, with no known threats. The plaza in front was remodeled in 1979.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.1212-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85002845.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002845/3d9e703272-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002845/3d9e703272-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochester_-_Rundel_Memorial_Library_reverse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers)</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:Rochester_-_Rundel_Memorial_Library_reverse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313550","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rundel_Memorial_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7379766"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/monroe-county/rundel-memorial-library-85002845/"}