This two-story brick house was originally the estate of railroad magnate John A. Colwell, commissioned during the railroad boom in Kittanning. In 1933, the building was sold to the borough and converted into a public library; it now serves as offices. The building retains its stately and substantial window and door surrounds, stone quoins, pediment-like central gable, and bracketed eaves. Alterations to the house include interior remodeling, the loss of an original ell wing at the rear, and the removal of a full porch along the facade, although a section survives as a columned entrance portico. A carriage house and stable once existing on the grounds have been demolished.