The Barron Library is a historic building located at 582 Rahway Avenue in Woodbridge Township,

Middlesex County, New Jersey Middlesex County is located in central New Jersey, United States, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was enumerated at 863,1 ...

. Formerly a public library, it is now the Barron Arts Center. The building was documented by the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

in 1976. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on November 11, 1977, for its significance in architecture and education. With

History and description

Thomas Barron (1790–1875) funded the construction of the building in his will. It would become the first free public library in Middlesex County. The

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

building was designed by architect

J. Cleaveland Cady Josiah Cleaveland Cady (January 1837 – April 17, 1919) or J. Cleaveland Cady, was an American architect who is known for his Romanesque architecture, Romanesque and Rundbogenstil style designs. He was also a founder of the American Institute ...

in the

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

style and features a three-story clock tower. The fireplace in the Reading Room is bordered with blue and white Delft tiles, each depicting a biblical scene. The library was dedicated on September 11, 1877. In 1967, it became part of the Woodbridge Township Library System. In 1977, the building became the arts center for Woodbridge Township.

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* * * * {{NRHP in Middlesex County, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey 1877 establishments in New Jersey Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in New Jersey Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, New Jersey Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places Former library buildings in the United States

History and description

See also

References

External links