{"nrhp_refnum":"91001671","name":"Portville Free Library","other_names":["Smith Parish House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Portville","county":"Cattaraugus County","state":"NY","lat":42.03912855900006,"lon":-78.34003265699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Greek Revival frame building at 2 North Main Street in the village of Portville, Cattaraugus County, New York. Built in 1847 as the Smith Parish House, it has served as the Portville Free Library since 1909.","why_significant":"The 1847 main block and 1860s north wing are argued to be a significant, remarkably intact example of Greek Revival domestic architecture in Portville, notable for the Doric entrance portico and the parapet balustrades. With the 1915 and 1930 wings, the building is also significant as the home of Portville's first and only free library and as a center of cultural and educational activity in the community.","narrative":"Built in 1847 for Smith Parish, an early settler and prominent local merchant, this Greek Revival frame building on North Main Street in Portville has served as the village's free library since 1909. The main block is a stepped, square-plan house with clapboard siding, six-over-six windows, a wide plain frieze and a fluted Doric portico at the entrance. Parapet balustrades with Greek fretwork crown the roofline. A north wing was added in the 1860s, and merchant and philanthropist E.G. Dusenbury funded wings in 1915 and 1930 that repeated the original detailing, giving the building a cruciform plan. Inside, the rooms were opened into larger public spaces, though the front foyer and staircase survive. A brick wing added in 1960 is not counted as historic. The property is valued for its architecture and for its role as the home of Portville's only free library, a reminder of the early twentieth-century public library movement.","period_of_significance":"1847-1930","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival; 20th Century Revival: Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Currently in use as a library; a non-contributing brick wing added in 1960 houses most administrative and operational activities.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:46.114895-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/91001671.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001671/21034acef3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001671/21034acef3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portville_Free_Library_Apr_10.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portville_Free_Library_Apr_10.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316668","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portville_Free_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7232820"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/cattaraugus-county/portville-free-library-91001671/"}