Indian Orchard Branch Library Architecture and Cupola

The Indian Orchard Branch Library is a historic branch library at 44 Oak Street in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. The

Classic Revival Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

building was constructed in 1909 to a design by John W. Donohue, and was the first permanent branch library building in the Springfield public library system; it was funded in part by a grant from

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 i ...

. 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 artistic v ...

in 1999; it continues to serve as a library as a branch of the Springfield City Library system.

Architecture and history

The Indian Orchard Branch Library is located in Springfield's northeastern Indian Orchard neighborhood, at the junction of Worcester and Oak Streets. It consists of the original 1909 building, and an addition made to the rear. The original block is a single story in height, with walls that are mainly brick, and a slate hip roof. A gabled entry vestibule projects to the front, with the entrance recessed behind Tuscan columns. The flanking wall facades each have a band of three windows set in a shared opening. Both the building corners and window openings exhibit stone quoining. The interior retains many original features, including Tuscan columns and pilasters and brick fireplaces. Indian Orchard developed in the 19th century as a somewhat isolated enclave of industry and residence apart from the rest of the city. Its first library was a private effort founded in 1859 by the Indian Orchard Mills Corporation, which was offered as a free service to area residents. This library had a collection of 1500 volumes by 1884. The city's public library by then had a small collection of 900 volumes maintained by a volunteer. Calls for a permanent branch library began in 1901. Henry Kirke Wight donated space in a commercial building at Oak and Main Streets, which was put to use in 1901. Later in the decade, the city received a grant from philanthropist

for new and updated library facilities, which was used in part to fund construction of the present building. It was designed by John W. Donohoe, a prominent local architect, and opened in 1909. The building was featured in a 1911 edition of ''The American Architect'' for its simple but elegant Classical Revival design.

References

External links

Indian Orchard Branch Library - Springfield Libraries
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Library buildings completed in 1909 Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Springfield, Massachusetts Libraries in Hampden County, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Massachusetts Carnegie libraries in Massachusetts

Architecture and history

See also

References

External links