The Stoneham Public Library is the public library of Stoneham,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. It is located at Main and Maple Streets.

History

The library was founded in 1859 by a committee of leading citizens, initially renting space near the intersection of Main Street and Montvale Avenue. In two years the library had accumulated nearly 1,500 volumes, most donated by older private library groups. As the library expanded its holdings over the following decades, it relocated several times to ever-larger spaces. By 1878 the collection had grown to over 5,000 volumes. In 1903 the town was awarded a grant of $15,000 by philanthropist

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...

for the construction of a permanent library building. This resulted in the 1904 construction of the modest Classical Revival building that forms the heart of the library complex at Maple and Main Streets. As originally built, this was a single story building made of Roman brick, and capped by a hip roof. Its main entrance was slightly recessed in a square archway flanked by pilasters and topped by an entablature. In 1931 this building was extended from three to five bays, and a cupola was added thanks to a trust fund left to the library by

Annie Hamilton Brown Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

. The building was again enlarged in 1983, using the same building materials and retaining single story layout, but with modern styling. The 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 artist ...

in 1984, and was included as a contributing property to the Central Square Historic District in 1990. The library's services, in addition to its circulating book collection, include access to online databases. The library is a member of the

North of Boston Library Exchange The North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE) is a consortium of 26 libraries on the North Shore of Massachusetts working to improve library service through automation. Seventeen public libraries, eight college libraries, and one special library a ...

(NOBLE), through which cardholders can access resources of other libraries in the region.

References

External links

Library website
{{authority control Library buildings completed in 1904 Buildings and structures in Stoneham, Massachusetts Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Renaissance Revival architecture in Massachusetts Libraries in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Public libraries in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Stoneham, Massachusetts Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts

History

See also

References

External links