Ames Free Library

The Ames Free Library is a public library designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson. It is located at 53 Main Street, Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall.

Ames Free Library
LocationNorth Easton, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°4′2″N 71°6′18″W
Built1883
ArchitectHenry Hobson Richardson
Architectural styleRichardsonian Romanesque
Part ofH. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton (ID87002598)
Significant dates
Designated NHLDCPDecember 23, 1987
Designated CPNovember 3, 1972
Ames Free Library
Established1883
Other information
DirectorDonna P. Richman
WebsiteAmesFreeLibrary.org
Map

In 2016 the Ames Free Library won the Best Small Library in America award from the Library Journal. This award was created in 2005 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to encourage and showcase outstanding libraries serving populations of fewer than 25,000.[1][2] This marks the second time the library has won this award.

History

On the death of Oliver Ames, Jr., he left $50,000 for the construction of a library.[3] The will stipulated that it was to be a private institution, not owned by the town, but operated in trust for the public.[3] The request was carried out by Ames' children, Frederick Lothrop Ames and Helen Angier Ames. They hired Henry Hobson Richardson to design the building.[3] The final cost of the building came to at least $80,000.[3]

The library was built from 1877 to 1879, although it did not open until March 10, 1883. It is generally rectangular, with broad gable projecting from its north end and a rectangular tower rising where the gable meets the main mass. The gable's front facade contains a heavily arched entry on the first floor and a row of five arched windows separated by pairs of short columns above. The facade is light-brown Milford granite laid in random ashlar with reddish-brown Longmeadow brownstone trim. Its roof is red-orange tile. A children's wing (red brick) was added in 1931, eliminating the original lavatory and document room.

Within, the library's major rooms, stack wing, hall, and reading room are laid out longitudinally. The reading room's fireplace is primarily by Stanford White, and the stone and bronze medallions of Oliver Ames, Jr. were designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

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See also

References
  1. Weinstein, Susan (April 21, 2016). "Easton's Ames Free Library named Best Small Library in America -- again". Wicked Local - Easton. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  2. Berry III, John N. (January 28, 2016). "Culture Convener - Best Small Library in America 2016". Library Journal. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  3. Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl (1984). H. H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works. MIT Press. pp. 68, 183. ISBN 0-262-65015-0.

Media related to Ames Free Library at Wikimedia Commons

  • Ames Free Library
  • Front facade
  • Fireplace
  • Stacks
  • Ames Free Library, ca. 1879-1895
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