Caledonia Library

Why it's listed
At 3108 West Main Street in Caledonia, Livingston County, stands a two-story stone building with a gabled main block, stepped parapet end walls, a low rear wing and a shed-roofed west wing. Its walls are roughly cut stone in a random ashlar pattern, and the windows keep their nine-over-six and nine-over-nine sash. Gad Blakeslee built it about 1826 as a family home and place of business; he was postmaster and sold proprietary medicines. After his death, his wife and daughter ran a millinery and dressmaking shop there. The Caledonia Library, which began in 1873 as the Ladies' Circulating Library Society, bought the building in 1910. In 1937 it was thoroughly renovated in the Colonial Revival style to a design credited to a "Mr. Harper." The interior includes a stair and a large fireplace set in paneled woodwork. The building was listed for its architecture, as a well-preserved example of local vernacular stone construction in an area settled largely by Scottish immigrants, and as a sensitive adaptation of an early building.
Significance in brief: The building is significant under Criterion C as a largely intact example of the local vernacular stone building tradition dating from the area's Scottish settlement. It also shows a sensitive 1937 Colonial Revival renovation of an early building. The Keeper's amendment removed the Criterion A claims about early commerce and civic history.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07001256, listed December 14, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3108 W. Main St., Caledonia |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | December 14, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07001256 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1826-1937 |
| Architect / builder | Gad Blakeslee (builder, ca. 1826); 1937 renovation designed by a "Mr. Harper" |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival; Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as the Caledonia Library, owned by the Caledonia Library Association. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.97283, -77.85433 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07001256.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q69967724
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.