The Ames Free Library is a
public library designed by noted American architect
H. H. Richardson. It is located at 53 Main Street,
Easton, Massachusetts
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Boston area.
Easton is governed by an elected Select Board. Open Town Meeting acts as the legislative br ...
, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building,
Oakes Ames Memorial Hall
Oakes Ames Memorial Hall is a historic hall designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson, with landscaping by Frederick Law Olmsted. It is located on Main Street in the village of North Easton in Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjace ...
.
In 2016 the Ames Free Library won the Best Small Library in America award from the
Library Journal. This award was created in 2005 by the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to encourage and showcase outstanding libraries serving populations of fewer than 25,000.
This marks the second time the library has won this award.
History
On the death of
Oliver Ames, Jr., he left $50,000 for the construction of a library.
The will stipulated that it was to be a private institution, not owned by the town, but operated in trust for the public.
The request was carried out by Ames' children,
Frederick Lothrop Ames and Helen Angier Ames. They hired
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...
to design the building.
The final cost of the building came to at least $80,000.
The library was built from 1877 to 1879, although it did not open until March 10, 1883. It is generally rectangular, with broad gable projecting from its north end and a rectangular tower rising where the gable meets the main mass. The gable's front facade contains a heavily arched entry on the first floor and a row of five arched windows separated by pairs of short columns above. The facade is light-brown Milford granite laid in random ashlar with reddish-brown Longmeadow brownstone trim. Its roof is red-orange tile. A children's wing (red brick) was added in 1931, eliminating the original lavatory and document room.
Within, the library's major rooms, stack wing, hall, and reading room are laid out longitudinally. The reading room's fireplace is primarily by
Stanford White
Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in addition ...
, and the stone and bronze medallions of
Oliver Ames, Jr. were designed by
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trav ...
.
See also
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H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton
The H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton is a National Historic Landmark District in the village of North Easton in Easton, Massachusetts. It consists of five buildings designed by noted 19th-century architect Henry Hobson Richard ...
*
North Easton Historic District
The North Easton Historic District is a historic district in Easton, Massachusetts encompassing a cohesive village area developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily through the activities of the locally important Ames family. ...
References
External links
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Gallery
Image:RichardsonNEatonLibrary.jpg, Ames Free Library
Image:Ames Free Library (North Easton, MA) - front facade.JPG, Front facade
Image:Ames Free Library (North Easton, MA) - interior fireplace.JPG, Fireplace
Image:Ames Free Library (North Easton, MA) - interior stacks.JPG, Stacks
File:amesfreelibrary.jpg, Ames Free Library, ca. 1879-1895
File:EAST FRONT ELEVATION - Oliver Ames Free Library, 53 Main Street, North Easton, Bristol County, MA.tif
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Library buildings completed in 1883
Libraries in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Henry Hobson Richardson buildings
Public libraries in Massachusetts
1883 establishments in Massachusetts
Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Massachusetts
Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts
Butler–Ames family