{"nrhp_refnum":"96000512","name":"Streator Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"130 S. Park St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Streator","county":"LaSalle County","state":"IL","lat":41.11958899100006,"lon":-88.83450421999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-05-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Carnegie-funded public library at 130 South Park Street in Streator, La Salle County, Illinois, designed by Chicago architects Patton and Miller and completed in early January 1903.","why_significant":"The building is significant under Criterion A for its role in education and social history in Streator. It grew out of a series of library associations formed from 1872 onward and a 1898 city ordinance taxing property owners to fund a free library. Carnegie funding, arranged through Col. Ralph Plumb, made the building possible.","narrative":"Streator's public library at 130 South Park Street is a Classical Revival building completed in January 1903 and dedicated that month. Chicago architects Patton and Miller designed it on a Greek cross plan with a central rotunda and dome. Bedford stone, Flemish-bond brick made in Streator, and terra cotta trim give the exterior its character, and a recessed entry with two Ionic columns marks the front. Inside, oak stairways, mosaic tile, fireplaces in the reading rooms and three oil murals by Gustav Alfred Fuchs, installed in 1905, survive. The building reflects the town's long effort to establish a free library, which began with a stock-based association in 1872 and a women's library association in 1876. After a 1898 city ordinance provided tax support, Andrew Carnegie funding, pursued through Col. Ralph Plumb, paid for this building. It remains a working library and is recognized for its role in education and social history.","period_of_significance":"1903-1946","architect_builder":"Patton and Miller, Architects","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still in use as a library; the form lists current function as Education/Library, with a 1968 mezzanine, a 1988 replacement front door and a 1995 roof replacement.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.030024-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/8913/28891305/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/96000512.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000512/8a9037c260-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000512/8a9037c260-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Streator_IL_Streator_Public_Library1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</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:Streator_IL_Streator_Public_Library1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891305","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streator_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48837718"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/lasalle-county/streator-public-library-96000512/"}