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Oregon Historic Sites Database

address:101 NE 1st St historic name:Enterprise Public Library
Enterprise, Wallowa County (97828) current/other names:Enterprise Carnegie Public Library
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:3 / 5-6 / 1200
location descr: twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:2S 44E 2
resource type:Building height (stories):1.0 total elig resources:1 total inelig resources:0
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:1914 second date: date indiv listed:09/30/2013
primary orig use: Library orig use comments:
second orig use: Organizational
primary style: Late 19th/20th Period Revivals: Other prim style comments:
secondary style: Renaissance Revival sec style comments:
primary siding: Standard Brick siding comments:
secondary siding: Concrete: Other/Undefined
plan type: Other Commercial/Public architect:Block and Bunting
builder:John Oberg
comments/notes:
Survey/Grouping Included In: Type of Grouping Date Listed Date Compiled
   Wallowa-Enterprise RLS 08 Survey & Inventory Project 2008
NR date listed: 09/30/2013
ILS survey date: 08/30/2009
RLS survey date: 06/01/2008
106 Project(s)
SHPO Case Date Agency Effect Eval
10-1510 06/24/2010 no adverse effect
Special Assess Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
Completed in 1914, the Enterprise Public Library is located at 101 NE 1st Street in downtown Enterprise, a rural community in Wallowa County, Oregon (Figures 1-3). A restrained version of the twentieth-century Classical Revival style, the one-story, cross-plan brick building with a raised basement communicates its function through the “PUBLIC LIBRARY” nameplate above the central entrance door. The symmetrical front and rear façades are divided into three bays with the central bays projecting from the lateral bays (Photo 2). The concrete stem wall around the entire perimeter is punctuated at regular intervals by grouped window openings on the primary facades, and is visually separated from the brick walls of the main story by a corbelled water table. Laid in a common-bond pattern, the walls have decorative raised brick quoins and recessed panels below the windows. The fenestration is regular on the front and side façades, and features grouped one-over-one, double-hung windows with masonry lintels and sills. The projecting central bay has a pediment above the nameplate and main entrance door. Sidelights and a multi-light transom window frame the newer metal-frame entrance door that is accentuated by an ashlar coursing of Bowlby stone capped with a central granite keystone (Photo 3). The door opens onto a concrete landing with opposing concrete steps leading down to the north and south of the landing, then west to the sidewalk. The steps have concrete sidewalls, and a metal railing and handrail. A book drop and pickup boxes are built under the landing between the stairways. Secondary entrances to the basement and main floor are on the east (rear) façade. The interior of the 2,880 square-foot building retains a majority of its original layout, consisting of the main reading rooms, circulation area, and storage closet on the main floor, and offices, community and utility rooms, and a restroom in the basement (Figure 5). The entrance vestibule has a door on the north to the basement stairway and double doors on the east to the main floor. The circulation area, in the center of the main floor, is separated from the reading rooms by large openings. The reading rooms are in the lateral wings that are lit by large windows. Original finishes on the main floor include plaster walls, unpainted wood trim, flat arches, wood doors, and built-in bookshelves. The basement is organized around a central lobby with rooms on all sides and a hall leading to the rear exit door (Figure 5). Original features in the basement include the room configurations, trim, windows, and doors. Alterations to the building include reconfiguring the original exterior entrance staircase, installing doors at the original entrance opening, building a new ADA ramp on the back façade and rear exit stairway, installing new light fixtures, and upgrading the bathroom in the basement.
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
The Enterprise Public Library meets the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) registration requirements for Institutional Buildings under the sub-type Civic and Public Buildings established in the Multiple Property Document (MPD), Historic Resources of Downtown Enterprise, 1888-1956, under Criteria A and C. The areas of significance are Government, Education, and Architecture. Completed during the MPD historic context of Railroad, Automobile, and Timber Boom, 1908-1928, the library is locally significant under Criterion A in the area of Government for its association with the City of Enterprise, its role in the construction, and its continued financial and operational support. Also significant under the area of Education, the free public library represents the city’s commitment to the education of its citizens. The building is also significant under Criterion C in the area of Architecture as a good example of a classically inspired library that retains a high degree of architectural integrity and represents the Carnegie Corporation philosophy of library design. The Period of Significance (POS) begins in 1914 with the completion of the library, and ends in 1956, the end date of the POS defined in the MPD. Government: The Enterprise Public Library meets registration requirements for the NRHP outlined in the MPD for Institutional Buildings subtype Public/Civic Building under Criterion A in the area of Government. In 1913, the City of Enterprise received a grant from the Carnegie Corporation for the construction of a library only after the city made a long-term commitment to the project by providing a building site, promising a no-fee facility, and continuing to support the library services and maintenance with dedicated tax funds. The city viewed the support of the new library as a civic responsibility, much like the local government’s investment in schools, and fire and police protection. The building reflects the philosophies of the City Beautiful Movement promoted by cities around the nation, emphasizing the creation of urban centers that evoked feelings of permanence and beauty, inspiring people to lead better civic and personal lives. In continuous use since its completion in 1914, the library remains a gathering place for the area’s citizens in the small isolated community of Enterprise. Education: The Enterprise Public Library also meets registration requirements for the NRHP under Criterion A in the area of Education outlined in the MPD. As an educational center, the Enterprise Public Library provided free access to hundreds of books, newspapers, and magazines. Staff continually added to the collection in an effort to expand the holdings and meet the public demand for new information. City residents and county ranchers and farmers depended on the library to learn about current events, latest technologies, agriculture, arts and music, and other topics. Various non-partisan groups used the basement lecture rooms for educational and cultural events, making the library a community center and gathering place. As a repository of the community’s history and as an educational center, the Enterprise Public Library was a visual statement of the city’s commitment to its citizens’ betterment. Architecture: The Enterprise Public Library also meets registration requirements for the NRHP under Criterion C in the area of Architecture outlined in the MPD. The library, designed by local La Grande architects Milton S. Block is an excellent example of Civic building sub-type that retains a high degree of architectural integrity. In its original location, the library retains its historic setting next to the IOOF Hall and EM&M building, and diagonally from the prominent Wallowa County Courthouse. Built with elements of the Classical Revival style, the library retains integrity of design, workmanship, and materials in its symmetrical design, red brick facades, regular fenestration, quoins, wood-sash windows with masonry lintels and sills, stone entrance surrounds, and “PUBLIC LIBRARY” prominently displayed in the central pediment. The interior also retains a high degree of integrity in the original room arrangements, fir trim, plaster walls, and built-in bookshelves. The library represents the design philosophies of the Carnegie Corporation outlined in “Notes on the Erection of Library Buildings” in its scale, simple architectural details, entrance vestibule, adult and children’s reading rooms on either side of the circulation area, open bookshelves, and a daylight basement level with lecture, utility, and storage rooms. Of the thirty-one Carnegie libraries built in Oregon, the Enterprise Library is one of fourteen libraries currently used for its original function. Integrity: The Enterprise Public Library meets the registration requirements of integrity outlined under Criteria A and C specified in the MPD in Section F-3: Institutional Building, sub-type Civic/Public Buildings. Still owned by the City of Enterprise and in continuous use as the public library on its original site, the building retains integrity of feeling, association, and location. The library also retains a high degree of architectural integrity in its design, setting, workmanship, and materials on the exterior and interior with the exception of the reconfiguration of the front stairs and covering the original fascia details on the central pediment when the eaves were rebuilt.
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library:Enterprise Public Library University Library:Wallowa Co. Historical Museum
Historical Society: Other Respository:
Bibliography:
Belew, Ellie. About Wallowa County: People. Places, Images. Enterprise: Pika Press, 2000. “Building on Our Pioneer Spirit.” Wallowa County Economic Action Team Report. May, 2007. Coffman, Lloyd W. 5200 Thursdays in the Wallowas, A Centennial History of The Wallowa County Chieftain. Enterprise: Wallowa County Chieftain, 1984. Enterprise City Plat Map, Wallowa County Assessor’s Office, Wallowa County Courthouse. Enterprise Public Library. Enterprise Library Board minutes in the archive collection located at the Enterprise Public Library, 1911-present. Enterprise Record Chieftain. Multiple editions, 6/26/1913, 7/10/1913, 7/24/1913, 8/14/1913, 8/28/1913, 9/11/1913, 11/27/1913, 3/12/1914, 7/23/1914, 1/19/1919, and 12/11/1919. History of Union and Wallowa Counties. Western Historical Publishing Company, 1902. Horner, John Harland. “The Horner Papers” (Volume 2A p. 482), Enterprise Public Library Collection. Jones, Theodore. Carnegie Libraries Across America: A Public Legacy. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. Krussow, Patricia and Donovan, Sally. Historic Register of Historic Places Registration Form, “Hood River County Library and Georgiana Smith Park.” November 1997. “Notes to the Erection of Library Buildings.” Carnegie Mellon University: Andrew Carnegie Online Archives. < http://www.accesspadr.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/acamu-acarc&CISOPTR=6474&REC=1> Pudgett, Keith. “The History of Wallowa County, OR.” Wallowa County Museum Board, Taylor Publishing Company. Dallas, Texas. 1983. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Enterprise, Oregon, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1917, and 1941. State of Oregon. “Biennial Report of the Oregon Library Commission,” 1909 and 1911. Legislative Assembly Regular Session, Salem, OR. State of Oregon. “Biennial Report of the Oregon State Library,” 1915, 1917, 1922, and 1937. Legislative Assembly Regular Session, Salem, OR. Sterbentz, Cathy. “Historic Downtown Enterprise, A Walking Tour.” Enterprise: Enterprise Hometown Improvement Group. Enterprise, 2006. Swinehart, Ralph. Interview with Enterprise resident, July 2009. Wallowa County Chieftain. ”Wallowa County, 1887-1987, 100 Years of Pioneer Spirit.” February 1987. United States Census. 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930. Wallowa County Courthouse. Wallowa County Assessor’s and Clerk’s Offices. Enterprise, OR. “Wallowa Co., The Land of Beauty & Opportunity.” Enterprise Chamber of Commerce publication, c 1960.