{"nrhp_refnum":"88001944","name":"Palestine Carnegie Library","other_names":["Carnegie Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"502 N. Queen St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Palestine","county":"Anderson County","state":"TX","lat":31.76331758300006,"lon":-101.63442740799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-10-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story, T-plan brick Carnegie library on a raised basement at 502 North Queen Street, Palestine, Anderson County, Texas. Designed by C.C. McKim and built by J.F. Rountree, it was dedicated in October 1914.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the most architecturally distinctive historic libraries in Texas and one of only 12 surviving Carnegie libraries out of about 32 once standing. Most Texas libraries of the period were Beaux Arts-influenced, but this one reworks those influences into a Prairie School mode. It also retains its integrity to an unusual degree.","narrative":"Built in 1913-1914 at 502 North Queen Street in Palestine, Texas, this Carnegie library paid for with a $15,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation and a city commitment to maintain it. Architect C.C. McKim designed a one-story, T-plan brick building on a raised basement, with a low hip roof and unusually wide, bracketed eaves. Inside, two tall reading rooms have wooden Palladian-style arches and pressed metal ceilings, and a large lecture room fills the basement. Most Texas Carnegie libraries followed Beaux Arts models, while this one shows strong Prairie School influence in its brick window surrounds and horizontal lines. Only 12 of roughly 32 Texas Carnegie libraries remain. The building served as the city library for 72 years until a new library opened in 1986. It now holds the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street program and Economic Development offices, and it retains most of its original features and window glass.","period_of_significance":"1913-1914","architect_builder":"J.F. Rountree/C.C. McKim","architectural_style":"Classical and Prairie School influences","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"No longer used as a library; it now houses the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street and Economic Development offices. Condition is listed as good and altered, with few alterations and about 95% of the original window glass said to remain.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:20.852284-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/87/9709/40970987/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/88001944.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88001944/4e0024c338-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88001944/4e0024c338-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carnegie_Library_Palestine_Wiki_(1_of_1).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:Carnegie_Library_Palestine_Wiki_(1_of_1).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970987","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107330239"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/anderson-county/palestine-carnegie-library-88001944/"}