The Ames Free Library is a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

H. H. Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

. It is located at 53 Main Street, Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall. In 2016 the Ames Free Library won the Best Small Library in America award from the

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

. This award was created in 2005 by the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

to encourage and showcase outstanding libraries serving populations of fewer than 25,000. This marks the second time the library has won this award.

History

On the death of

Oliver Ames, Jr. Oliver Ames Jr. (November 5, 1807 – March 9, 1877) was president of Union Pacific Railroad when the railroad met the Central Pacific Railroad in Utah for the completion of the First transcontinental railroad in North America. Biography Born i ...

, he left $50,000 for the construction of a library. The will stipulated that it was to be a private institution, not owned by the town, but operated in trust for the public. The request was carried out by Ames' children,

Frederick Lothrop Ames Frederick Lothrop Ames (June 8, 1835 – September 13, 1893) was heir to a fortune in railroads and shovel manufacturing. He was Vice President of the Old Colony Railroad and director of the Union Pacific railroad. At the time of his death, Ames ...

and Helen Angier Ames. They hired Henry Hobson Richardson to design the building. The final cost of the building came to at least $80,000. 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

were designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

References

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Gallery

Image:RichardsonNEatonLibrary.jpg, Ames Free Library Image:Ames Free Library (North Easton, MA) - front facade.JPG, Front facade Image:Ames Free Library (North Easton, MA) - interior fireplace.JPG, Fireplace Image:Ames Free Library (North Easton, MA) - interior stacks.JPG, Stacks File:amesfreelibrary.jpg, Ames Free Library, ca. 1879-1895 File:EAST FRONT ELEVATION - Oliver Ames Free Library, 53 Main Street, North Easton, Bristol County, MA.tif {{authority control Library buildings completed in 1883 Libraries in Bristol County, Massachusetts Henry Hobson Richardson buildings Public libraries in Massachusetts 1883 establishments in Massachusetts Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Massachusetts Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Massachusetts Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Butler–Ames family

History

See also

References

External links

Gallery