Thomas Crane Public Library

Thomas Crane Public Library
The original building (1882), front view, architect H. H. Richardson
Location Quincy, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°15′6″N 71°0′4″W / 42.25167°N 71.00111°W / 42.25167; -71.00111Coordinates: 42°15′6″N 71°0′4″W / 42.25167°N 71.00111°W / 42.25167; -71.00111
Built 1881
Architect Henry Hobson Richardson
Architectural style Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference # 72000143[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 18, 1972
Designated NHL December 23, 1987
Wollaston Branch, Thomas Crane Public Library
The Wollaston Branch
Location 41 Beale St., Quincy, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°16′0.44″N 71°1′4.48″W / 42.2667889°N 71.0179111°W / 42.2667889; -71.0179111
Area 0.2 acres (0.081 ha)
Built 1922
Architect William Chapman
Architectural style Classical Revival
MPS Quincy MRA
NRHP reference # 89001316[2]
Added to NRHP September 20, 1989

The Thomas Crane Public Library (TCPL) is a city library in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is noted for its architecture. It was funded by the Crane family as a memorial to Thomas Crane, a wealthy stone contractor who got his start in the Quincy quarries.[3] The Thomas Crane Library has the second largest municipal collection in Massachusetts after the Boston Public Library.

In fiscal year 2008, the city of Quincy spent 1.41% ($2,690,878) of its budget on the library—some $29 per person.[4]

Architecture

The Thomas Crane Public Library was built in four stages: the original building (1882) by architect H. H. Richardson; an additional ell with stack space and stained glass (1908) by William Martin Aiken in Richardson's style; a major expansion (1939) by architects Paul A. and Carroll Coletti, with stone carvings by sculptor Joseph A. Coletti of Quincy; and a recent addition (2001) by Boston architects Childs, Bertman, and Tseckares, which doubled the size of the library. H. H. Richardson considered this library among his most successful civic buildings, and Harper's Weekly called it "the best village library in the United States". The library was ranked 43rd in a national poll conducted in 2007 by the American Institute of Architects of the favorite buildings in the nation.

In addition to its architecture, the original building contains a 30 × 10 inch stained glass window by noted American artist John LaFarge in memory of Thomas Crane, entitled the Old Philosopher. To the left of the elaborate carved fireplace is a second LaFarge window, "Angel at the Tomb", given in memory of Crane's son Benjamin Franklin Crane. The library's grounds were designed by landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted.

The main library was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, recognizing it as one of Richardson's finest library buildings.[5]

Branches

The Wollaston Branch is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places. The library had two other branches as of October 2009: the North Quincy Branch on Hancock Street near North Quincy High School, and the Adams Shore branch on Sea Street in Hough's Neck. There had been four other branches until municipal budget cutbacks in 1981; two of these were the Atlantic Branch on Atlantic Street and the Quincy Point branch off of Washington Street.

Community

The library often hosts concerts, lectures and art exhibitions.[6][7] There are also private rooms available for rent free of charge to the public or to small community organizations.[8] Also, the library hosts Quincy's local Public-access television cable TV channel, QATV.
Thomas Crane Public Library provides services and resources that cater to the disabled community. The Main Branch features handicap parking, elevators to all floors, as well as aisles and sit-down computer terminals that accommodate wheelchairs and those with disabilities. For those that are blind or visually impaired: the public use computers feature large print keyboards. Handheld magnifiers are available at the Reference Desk, and Braille books are available through interlibrary loan. [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. ↑ Paula D. Watson. Carnegie Ladies, Lady Carnegies: Women and the Building of Libraries. Libraries & Culture, Vol. 31, No. 1, Reading & Libraries I (Winter, 1996)
  4. ↑ July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008; cf. The FY2008 Municipal Pie: What’s Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2009. Available: Municipal Pie Reports Archived 2012-01-23 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "NHL nomination for Thomas Crane Public Library". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-12-11. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  8. ↑ http://thomascranelibrary.org/aboutus/policies/meetingroompolicy.shtml%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
  9. ↑ http://thomascranelibrary.org/about/disability-services
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