Quadrangle (Springfield, Massachusetts)

The Quadrangle is the common name for a cluster of museums and cultural institutions in Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, on Chestnut Street between State and Edwards Streets.

The Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, in the center of the Quadrangle, is surrounded by a park, a library, five museums, and a cathedral. A second cathedral is just on the Quadrangle's periphery.

Merrick Park

On the corner of Chestnut and State Streets, Merrick Park is distinguished by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens ''The Puritan'', a statue depicting one of Springfield's settlers, Deacon Samuel Chapin. Springfield Central Library and Christ Church Cathedral are adjacent to the park.

Springfield City Library

The Central Library, constructed in 1913, was paid for by Andrew Carnegie. It is the second library to be built at that location. Adult fiction and nonfiction are based in Rice Hall (named for William Rice), consisting of a main floor and mezzanine. Opposite Rice Hall is Wellman Hall (named for Hiller Crowell Wellman), where periodicals, foreign language materials, and the public computers are housed. The main circulation desk lies in the rotunda between the two halls. Young adult literature, children's literature, a community room, a computer lab, media materials, and a second circulation desk are on the first floor at street level.

Cathedrals

The Roman Catholic St. Michael's Cathedral adjoins the neo-classical Springfield City Library at the southeast corner of the Quadrangle.

Also located near that edge of the Quadrangle is the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts' Christ Church Cathedral.

Springfield Museums

Springfield Museums Corporation operates the Dr. Seuss Memorial and five museums on the Quadrangle. In 2013, the Springfield Museum consortium achieved national accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, a distinction awarded to only 6% of national museums in the US. In September 2016, Springfield Museums was named as a Smithsonian affiliate, opening up new opportunities for cultural and historical exhibits, as well as educational programs.

George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum

The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum is the oldest museum on the Quadrangle. The museum is named for George Walter Vincent Smith and his wife, Belle, who bequeathed their notable collection to begin the museum. The building dates from 1895 and was designed by Renwick, Aspinwall and Russell and Walter T. Owen.

The Ancient Treasures Gallery displays objects from ancient Egypt, China, Greece and Rome. The gallery presents Greek and Roman sculpture and ancient Chinese ceramics and bronzes. Greek pottery and glass from the George Walter Vincent Smith Collection complement the classical sculptures.

The Japanese Arms and Armor Gallery, in addition to holding Smith's extensive collection of East Asian armor, is the site of an ornate Shinto wheel shrine carved during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Among other collections is a 150-piece holding of Chinese cloisonne work, one of the most extensive collections outside of China.

Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts

The Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts features American and European works including those of Massachusetts native John Singleton Copley and lithographs of Currier and Ives. Works by Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and others can be found in the European collection. The Museum features many interactive exhibits as well. It also has Late Medieval and Renaissance paintings by Spinello Aretino

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