Waterloo Library
Why it's listed
Completed in 1883, this brick building at 31 Williams Street in Waterloo, New York, was designed as a library with a theatre above. Nichols and Brown of Albany provided the architectural services. The Queen Anne design includes intersecting gable roofs with slate and jerkinhead dormers, iron ridge cresting, terra cotta details, limestone belt courses and a rusticated limestone foundation. Inside, the floor plan survives largely intact, with a vaulted main stack room, an Eastlake overmantel, decorative metal radiators and extensive original stained glass. The second-floor theatre retains its raised stage, tiered wooden seating and box office. The building has been owned and maintained by the Waterloo Library and Historical Society since it opened and has served continuously as a library. Local citizen Thomas Fatzinger prompted the effort with a generous donation, and the Society completed the project after his death in 1878. The building is valued as a rare, well-preserved example of its style and use in the region. A rear concrete block wing is not counted as historic.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is an intact, rare example of Queen Anne institutional architecture in western New York, with its original interior, stained glass and second-floor performance hall. It also reflects the community's effort to establish a public library, funded through a bequest-style challenge from local citizen Thomas Fatzinger and carried out by the Society.
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 96000676, listed June 14, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 31 Williams St., Waterloo |
|---|---|
| County | Seneca County |
| Listed | June 14, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000676 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1883 |
| Architect / builder | Nichols and Brown of Albany (architectural services) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used continuously as a library since its completion in 1883; a non-contributing concrete block wing at the rear holds museum exhibit space. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Women's Rights National Historic Park (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 42.90566, -76.86070 (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 96000676.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4543171
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.