The Jacob Sears Library is one of the five public libraries of
Dennis, Massachusetts
Dennis is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, located near the center of Cape Cod. The population was 14,674 at the 2020 census.
The town encompasses five distinct villages, each of which has its own post office. These cons ...
. It is located at 23 Center Street in
East Dennis, in a building funded by a bequest from Jacob Sears, a longtime East Dennis resident. The Shingle style structure was built in 1895 to a design by the Boston firm of Rand & Taylor.
The library building was listed on 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 2009.
Architecture and history
The Jacob Sears Memorial Library is set on the south side of Center Street in the village of East Dennis, just north of
Massachusetts Route 6A
Massachusetts Route 6A is the state road for two sections formerly known as U.S. Route 6 (US 6) on Cape Cod. Most of Route 6A is also known as the Old King's Highway. Combining the 2 major sections (and a "silent" concurrency with US ...
. It is a rectangular single-story wood frame structure, with a hip roof and a stone foundation. The ridge line of the roof is T shaped, with the section at the right end perpendicular to the street. This section extends to shelter the main entrance, flaring out form a portico supported by square posts and large brackets. Just to the right of the entrance is a turreted polygonal projection. Wall dormers line the front facade to the left of the entrance. The interior is divided into the primary library space at the western end, a large meeting space in the center, with backstage spaces at the far eastern end.
[
The first library services were provided in East Dennis by a private lending association founded in 1866. Jacob Sears, a lifelong resident of East Dennis, gave funding for the construction and endowment of this library building, which was completed in 1895 to a design by the ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
firm of Rand & Taylor. The meeting hall has been used for a wide variety of civic and social functions. The building underwent a major restoration in 2005-06.[
]
See also
*
References
External links
Jacob Sears Library website
{{authority control
Library buildings completed in 1896
National Register of Historic Places in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Shingle Style architecture in Massachusetts
Libraries in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Public libraries in Massachusetts
1896 establishments in Massachusetts
Dennis, Massachusetts
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts