{"nrhp_refnum":"94000014","name":"Havana Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"201 W. Adams St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Havana","county":"Mason County","state":"IL","lat":40.299178064000046,"lon":-90.06263179699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-a-half-story brick Carnegie library building at 201 W. Adams Street in Havana, Mason County, Illinois, completed in 1902 in Classical Revival style, with a rear addition built in 1937.","why_significant":"The library resulted from Andrew Carnegie's grant program for public libraries and was an early Illinois recipient. It has served as a public institution playing an integral role in the town's social and educational life. It meets Criterion A in social history and education.","narrative":"Havana's public library sits at the corner of Plum and Adams Streets, one block south of downtown. Built of blond brick and finished in 1902, it is a one-and-a-half-story Classical Revival building with stone Ionic pilasters, palladian windows and stepped gables. It was funded by an $8,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie, offered after the town agreed to provide a site and a tax to support the library. Havana's library service had begun in 1898 in a small room in city hall, shared with the police court, fire department and jail. A 1937 rear addition lengthened the building and moved the entrance to the Adams Street side. Builders reused the original brick manufacturer and copied the windows and design. Inside, the open main-floor plan remains, though the fireplace, marble baseboards and terrazzo floor were removed or covered. The library was recognized for its role in the town's social and educational life from 1902 to 1943, and as an early example of Carnegie library philanthropy in Illinois.","period_of_significance":"1902 - 1943","architect_builder":"Hair, C.E.; Deal and Ginzel (1937 addition)","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and continuing to serve a growing population as a library.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.151924-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/8913/28891363/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/94000014.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000014/fdf77a6128-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000014/fdf77a6128-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Havana_Public_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Havana_Public_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891363","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5683094"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/mason-county/havana-public-library-94000014/"}