In true Beaux-Arts fashion, the entrance to the library is functionally expressed by a tile roof pedimented portico. The outline of the pediment is accented at the ends and central pitch by Greek-style antefixae. Brackets line the base of the pediment and raking cornice. The frieze line, below, is undecorated but holds the inscription: "Wm. K. Kohrs Memorial”. The architrave consists of two fascia oversailing each other. The fascia decorated architrave and unadorned frieze extend around the portico and continue to define the base of the entablature of a second projecting bay which visually serves as a backdrop for the entrance portico. A single sash window and fixed transom, light each wall of this function as a children’s room to the west of the entrance, and periodical room to the east.
The entrance to the portico faces south and is monumentalized by paired monolithic stone columns (unfluted) which support the classical entablature. The paired columns utilize ionic “corner capitols” whose four-cornered volutes were designed to look the same on the two sides facing outward. The columns shafts terminate in simple double-roll bases which, in turn, rest on double tiered stone plinths. Stone lintel caps rest on rock-faced granite stair abutments. Eight cement steps lead to the entry door, and a recent wrought-iron stair rail divides the walkway in half; the first step is badly cracked and needs stabilizing. The iron stair rail is the only change to the original exterior.
Pioneer cattle baron Conrad Kohrs and his wife, Augusta, gave Powell County’s first public library building to the community of Deer Lodge in memory of their son, William, in 1902. William had gone to Columbia University in New York to study electrical engineering and died suddenly following an appendectomy in 1901. Conrad and Augusta Kohrs decided that a library would be a fitting tribute to him, since academic pursuits were integral to the community. A circulating library was established in Deer Lodge in 1869, and Montana Territory’s first institute of higher learning, the College of Montana, was founded at Deer Lodge in 1878.
Using the libraries donated by entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie as a model, the family spent $30,000 constructing and furnishing the facility. Architects Link and Carter of Butte designed the building, drawing upon Classical Revival and Beaux Arts traditions. The use of the Beaux Arts style clearly points to the career directions of J. G. Link, later associated with the highly acclaimed Montana firm of Link and Haire. The design emphasizes contrasting textures of granite and Columbus sandstone, which conceal a superior inner brick, structural steel, and concrete framework. Dentils at the cornice line, a terra cotta tile roof, pedimented portico, and Ionic columns richly enhance the façade. The sumptuous interior features a central dome of colored glass, oak woodwork, and an exquisite memorial window titled “A Reading from Homer” given by William’s uncle, John Bielenberg. The library symbolizes the intellectual aspirations of Deer Lodge in 1902 and the significance of the Kohrs family to western Montana.
From the NRHP Plaque