Converse Memorial Library
| Converse Memorial Library | |||
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| National Register of Historic Places | |||
| National Historic Landmark | |||
_-_angle_view.JPG) The building in 2007 |
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| location | Malden , Massachusetts , United States | ||
| Coordinates | 42 ° 25 '40.4 " N , 71 ° 4' 1.2" W | ||
| surface | 1 Acres (0.4 ha ) | ||
| Built | 1883-1885 | ||
| architect | Henry Hobson Richardson , Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge | ||
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque | ||
| NRHP number | 85002014 | ||
| Data | |||
| The NRHP added | 5th September 1985 | ||
| Declared as an NHL | December 23, 1987 | ||
The Converse Memorial Library (also Converse Memorial Building ) Headquartered 1885-1996 Public Library of Malden in the state of Massachusetts of the United States . Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson in the late 19th century , the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The library is now located in an adjacent new building. Also in the immediate vicinity is the First Baptist Church , which was designed by Richardson as a complementary structure to the library.
architecture
Outdoor areas
The red sandstone building faces south and is adjacent to Salem Street and Park Street . The original structure, completed in 1885, was supplemented by a total of three extensions over the years and today has a T-like floor plan. The main wing of the original structure extends over a length of almost 37 m along Salem Street , while the side wing, which is arranged at right angles to it, runs for around 28.5 m along Park Street .
In 1896 two extensions were added by the architects of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge , followed in 1916 by Newhall and Blevins with the octagonal art gallery . Another octagonal, 16.8 m high stair tower is at the front where the two original parts of the building meet. There is a smaller tower each at the southwest and northeast corner of the structure.
Indoor areas
The interior of the building consists mostly of large rooms that are connected to one another by arched openings. The main hall is over 9 m high and has a barrel vault with open beams . The room receives daylight through a window in the western wall. In the corners, spiral stairs lead to the gallery.
The surfaces inside the building have a special design and a very high quality of processing. The wooden surfaces are decorated with carvings, which are in an excellent state of preservation. As in the Richardson-designed libraries in Quincy and North Easton, the interior is made of white oak , the surface of which has been polished to a high gloss. The lamellas and ribs of the vaulted ceiling, the paneling , the doors and the cladding of the fireplace surround are made of alder-leaved oak . In 1887 the lighting was electrified and in 1957 fluorescent tubes were added.
Historical meaning
The Converse Memorial Library is the last library building designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style named after him . The library was a gift to the city of Malden from the wealthy industrialist Elisha Slade Converse and was intended as a memorial to his son Frank Eugene, who was murdered in 1863 at the age of 17. The crime went down in American criminal history as the "Malden Murder" and was a regular topic throughout Massachusetts for the rest of the 19th century.
When the first public library opened in Malden in 1879, it was little more than a small room in the town hall filled with books. As early as 1882, there was no longer enough space, so the search for a suitable replacement was started.
In the same year, Malden became the City and Elisha Converse became its first mayor. He donated the Converse Memorial Building to the city to house the library and an art gallery . Together with his wife, he donated paintings and sculptures as starting equipment, but also financial means for the maintenance of the building and the purchase of art objects. The church building right next to the library represents the second part of the memorial planned by Converse. After two years of construction, the library was opened on October 1, 1885, but the church did not follow until around seven years later.
See also
- List of entries on the National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
literature
- Carolyn Pitts: National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. (PDF) National Park Service , United States Department of the Interior , accessed April 5, 2020 .
Web links
- Malden Public Library website with information on the Converse Memorial Building