Ralston made a modest-sized Carnegie Library grand by emphasizing its central raised section with two pairs of closely spaced Ionic columns placed on a low, abbreviated podium. Above is a classical pediment with a lunette window, all reminiscent of buildings at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, held in Chicago. The sense of enhanced scale is heightened by having the entrance stairs narrow and then break into the podium upon which the columns rest. Another hint of stateliness is the suggestion of a balcony above the columned entrance.