The Frederic C. Adams Public Library is a historic library building at 33 Summer Street in
Kingston, Massachusetts
Kingston is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,708 at the 2020 census.
History
Before European settlers arrived, Kingston was within the tribal homeland of the Wampanoag people. Several years ...
. Designed by
Joseph Everett Chandler
Joseph Everett Chandler (December 11, 1863 – August 19, 1945) was an American architect. He is considered a major proponent of the Colonial Revival architecture.
Biography
Joseph Everett Chandler was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the son o ...
(1864–1945), a major proponent of the
Colonial Revival style
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...
, the library was built in 1898 and 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 ...
in 2001. The building ceased operation as a public library in December 1994, when the town opened the new Kingston Public Library at 6 Green Street.
Description and history
The Adams Library building is located in Kingston's village center, on the east side of Summer Street (
Massachusetts Route 3A) at its junction with Green Street. It is a 1-1/2 story masonry structure, with a gabled roof and walls of brick with stone trim. The main facade is five bays wide, with a dentillated cornice and a stringcourse of stone at the top of the windows and entry. The entrance is framed by wide sidelight windows and sheltered by a four-column Corinthian portico. Windows are set in recessed panels with splayed keystone lintels and a half-round blind arch above.
The Kingston Public Library's organizational history dates to 1871, when the Kingston Library Association was founded. Its collection was held in a local retail establishment, and in 1890 fundraising began for the construction of a dedicated facility. Frederic C. Adams was a native of Kingston, who owned a local stockyard and slaughterhouse. On his death in 1874 he left $5,000 to the town for the construction of a library. The library was completed in 1898 to a design by Joseph Chandler of
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
. An addition was made to the rear in 1965, but the library continued to grow, and moved into new quarters across the street in 1994.
[
The building was restored, and rededicated as the Adams Center in November 2012. On March 12, 2013, the Kingston Board of Selectmen created the Adams Center Board of Trustees "to secure optimal use of the Adams Center for the benefit of the Citizens of Kingston."]
Kingston Public Library
The Adams Center Board of Trustees subsequently resigned as a group. In the summer of 2019, the Library moved its Local History Collections to the Adams where they are available to the public.
Kingston Recreation Department's reservation system
See also
*
References
External links
Adams Center Board of Trustees
Kingston Public Library website
{{Authority control
Libraries in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Public libraries in Massachusetts
Library buildings completed in 1898
National Register of Historic Places in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Plymouth County, Massachusetts