Winn Memorial Library
| Winn Memorial Library | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| National Register of Historic Places | |||
| National Historic Landmark | |||
 The building in 2005 |
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| location | Woburn , Massachusetts , United States | ||
| Coordinates | 42 ° 28 '45 " N , 71 ° 9' 17.2" W | ||
| surface | 1.7 acres (0.7 ha ) | ||
| Built | 1875 | ||
| architect | Henry Hobson Richardson | ||
| Architectural style | Romanesque , neo-Gothic | ||
| NRHP number | 76000290 | ||
| Data | |||
| The NRHP added | November 13, 1976 | ||
| Declared as an NHL | December 23, 1987 | ||
The Winn Memorial Library (also Woburn Public Library ) is a public library in Woburn in the state of Massachusetts of the United States . The building, named after its benefactor, Charles Bowers Winn , was constructed in the mid-19th century and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 . It has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark since 1987 .
architecture
The building was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and is the only library he designed that has not been expanded with additions over time. It has the shape of a Latin cross and is 49.7 m long.
The building is set back almost 23 m from the street and is completely surrounded by a lawn. The building, which is largely in the style of Romanesque architecture , also has neo-Gothic influences and consists mainly of brown sandstone from Springfield, Massachusetts and cream-colored sandstone from Ohio, as well as granite for decorative elements.
The original deep red roof was exchanged in 1914 for a combination of copper and red slate elements, whereby in addition to the color scheme, the shaping contours were preserved as well as possible. The almost 24 m high tower contains a spiral staircase from the vestibule up to the first floor. At its foot is the portico with horizontally striped columns. At one of the outer corners there is a gargoyle in the shape of a lion eagle .
Historical meaning
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The Winn Memorial Library was one of the most important designs by Henry Hobson Richardson during his most creative period between 1870 and 1878. The Winn family, after whom the building was named, are still one of the most famous in Woburn. The first child recorded on the city's birth register was Increase Winn on December 5, 1641. In the course of the transformation of the city at the beginning of the 19th century from agriculture to industry - especially leather processing - Jonathan Bowers Winn benefited from this development, who was a partner in a leather factory.
In 1855 he proposed that the city of Woburn establish a Boston-style public library, and the city council agreed. In the same year the Woburn Public Library was founded and opened to the public on August 20, 1856.
He bequeathed his entire fortune to his son Charles Bowers Winn, who died unmarried in 1875 and thus only outlived his father by two years. In his will, Charles turned the town of Woburn funding of an estimated 227,000 US dollars (now about 5,445,000 US dollars or 4.56 million euros ) for the establishment and maintenance of a new and larger public library.
Charles also stipulated that the library should have a neutral name, but should remember his father, which was achieved by putting up a plaque.
When it opened on May 1, 1879, the new Woburns public library had 16,500 books, more than half of which had been newly acquired. The capacity of the bookshelves was designed for 50,000 books and thus still offered ample growth potential.
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) United States Department of the Interior , National Park Service , accessed November 7, 2017 .
