Southworth Library
Why it's listed
Southworth Library is a small stone library at 24 West Main Street in Dryden, New York, completed in 1894. Architect William Henry Miller of Ithaca designed it as a miniature of his Uris Library at Cornell University, and J. Allington and Son of Elmira built it. The building has rough-cut masonry walls, a steeply pitched slate gable roof, inset chimneys, an asymmetrical bell tower and a round-arched entrance vestibule. Circular gable windows have wrought-iron screens and carved stone gargoyles. Inside are a cathedral ceiling, an open-grid metal stack floor, fine woodwork and two tiled fireplaces with carved mantels. A Seth Thomas clock was added to the tower in 1897. Jennie McGraw-Fiske provided $30,000 in her will for the library, which honors her mother and grandfather, John Southworth, a wealthy local farmer and merchant. It is considered Dryden's most distinctive civic building and remains a community landmark in use as a library.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a distinctive small-scale example of Eclectic civic architecture and the most distinctive civic building in Dryden. It is also an example of work by Ithaca architect William Henry Miller, who designed it as a miniature of Cornell's Uris Library. It is further tied to the prominent McGraw and Southworth family through a bequest from Jennie McGraw-Fiske.
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 84003195, listed June 8, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 24 W. Main St., Dryden |
|---|---|
| County | Tompkins County |
| Listed | June 8, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003195 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect William Henry Miller, Ithaca, New York; builder J. Allington and Son, Elmira, New York |
| Architectural style | Eclectic style civic architecture, with Richardsonian influence and English Arts and Crafts influence |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a library, open to the public; described as in good condition on its original site, with no known threats. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.49073, -76.29910 (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 84003195.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7571503
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.