Converse Memorial Library | |
_-_angle_view.JPG) Converse Memorial Building | |
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| Location | 36 Salem Street, Malden, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°25′39″N 71°3′59″W / 42.42750°N 71.06639°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1885 |
| Architect | H. H. Richardson; Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge; Newhall & Blevins |
| Architectural style | Richardson Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 85002014 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 05, 1985[1] |
| Designated NHL | December 23, 1987[2] |
The Converse Memorial Library – also known as Converse Memorial Building – is a historically significant building designed by noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. From 1885 to 1996, it housed the Malden Public Library, which now occupies a modern building adjacent to it. The former library is located at 36 Salem Street, Malden, Massachusetts.
The building was a gift of Elisha S. and Mary D. Converse in memory of their murdered son, Frank Eugene Converse, who was the victim of the first bank robbery/murder in North America. It was constructed 1883-1885 in an overall L-shape, with a facade of brown Longmeadow sandstone, a tower rising from the L's inner corner, and a heavily arched entry porch set within the L's short arm. The main library room is 50 x 36 feet and finished in elaborately carved white oak with a high, vaulted ceiling. Its furniture was designed by Richardson and manufactured by the Boston firm of A. H. Davenport and Company.[3]
In 1896 two additions were made to the building, designed by Richardson's successor firm, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge. One gable-roofed wing extends the building to the rear, along Park Street, following the same general lines of the existing structure. The other addition was a flat-roofed rectangular stack area also attached to the rear. An octagonal gallery space further extended the rear in 1916, designed by Newhall & Blevins.[3]
The Converse Memorial Building was the last of Richardson's library designs, and is generally considered among his finest works. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.[2][3]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Converse Memorial Library". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
- ^ a b c Carolyn Pitts. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Converse Memorial Library / Malden Public Library" (pdf). National Park Service. (includes plans and drawings) and Accompanying six photos, exterior and interior, from 1888, 1895, 1905, 1985 (32 KB)