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| Photo from Wikipedia |
Two things jump right off the page when you load the Ames Free Library website. The first is the photograph of the library and the second is the extensive list of upcoming events. The Ames Free library, located in Easton, MA, was a runner up in the Best Small Library contest co-sponsored by The Library Journal and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. The contest honors libraries in small towns that “demonstrates outstanding service” (see my post about the winner in Naturita, CO). I knew I couldn’t go wrong with a visit. The library has written a very thorough history that filled me in on the last 100 years: A Centennial History of Ames Free Library of Easton, Inc. 1883-1983
The building quicken my pulse for a reason, it was designed by the great Henry Hobson Richardson. When he was hired to design the building, in 1877, he had recently completed the exquisite Trinity Church in Boston and was a brilliant architect rapidly gathering fame and fortune. The library in Easton was funded by Oliver Ames (another railroad man and banker), who left $50,000 in his will to create a library for the town. His children, Frederick and Helen were the inspired project managers . We now consider H.H. Richardson the grandfather of American architecture and this building is a testament to his talent. He went on to design three other beautiful libraries in Massachusetts that I will be off to visit next (wouldn’t that be a great vacation odyssey?)
From now on, when I envision the perfect small town library this building will come to mind. Not only is beautiful but it is solid, stately and inspiring, everything a library should be in a community. It’s not surprising that it has been there for more than a hundred years and I wouldn’t be surprised to find there in another hundred years. It is constructed out of Milford granite, trimmed with sandstone and epitomizes Richardson’s romantic medieval style. According to Wikipedia, Richardson was “immortalized by having the honor of having a style named after him. "Richardsonian Romanesque, was a highly personal synthesis of the Beaux-Arts predilection for clear and legible plans, with the heavy massing that was favored by the pro-medievalists.”
The interior is equally stunning. The original book stack room rises into a barrel ceiling trimmed with apple wood and is surrounded on all four sides by balconies of books. The reading room is panelled with dark walnut and feature a fireplace designed by Stanford White, who worked as a student draftsmen for Richardson and went on to begin his own world-famous architecture firm that would later design the Boston Public Library - aha!
But here’s the other thing...even after visiting so many library websites, I was amazed at the scope of events offered at Ames. The library probably could happily rest on its laurels and bask in this architectural treasure but instead they offer a myriad of programs and events for the community. At the top of the list this month is a trip to The Harvard Museum of Natural History to see their exhibit of glass flowers (bus ride, box lunch and admission included). Then there’s a knitting club, book clubs (for every age group), visit from authors, personal chefs, musicians and even an organic farmer. Or you could join the Foodie Group that meets and eat every month. This certainly is an old library but the new librarians have used their passion as a fuel to fill it with adventure, curiosity and enthusiasm.
The building quicken my pulse for a reason, it was designed by the great Henry Hobson Richardson. When he was hired to design the building, in 1877, he had recently completed the exquisite Trinity Church in Boston and was a brilliant architect rapidly gathering fame and fortune. The library in Easton was funded by Oliver Ames (another railroad man and banker), who left $50,000 in his will to create a library for the town. His children, Frederick and Helen were the inspired project managers . We now consider H.H. Richardson the grandfather of American architecture and this building is a testament to his talent. He went on to design three other beautiful libraries in Massachusetts that I will be off to visit next (wouldn’t that be a great vacation odyssey?)
From now on, when I envision the perfect small town library this building will come to mind. Not only is beautiful but it is solid, stately and inspiring, everything a library should be in a community. It’s not surprising that it has been there for more than a hundred years and I wouldn’t be surprised to find there in another hundred years. It is constructed out of Milford granite, trimmed with sandstone and epitomizes Richardson’s romantic medieval style. According to Wikipedia, Richardson was “immortalized by having the honor of having a style named after him. "Richardsonian Romanesque, was a highly personal synthesis of the Beaux-Arts predilection for clear and legible plans, with the heavy massing that was favored by the pro-medievalists.”
The interior is equally stunning. The original book stack room rises into a barrel ceiling trimmed with apple wood and is surrounded on all four sides by balconies of books. The reading room is panelled with dark walnut and feature a fireplace designed by Stanford White, who worked as a student draftsmen for Richardson and went on to begin his own world-famous architecture firm that would later design the Boston Public Library - aha!
But here’s the other thing...even after visiting so many library websites, I was amazed at the scope of events offered at Ames. The library probably could happily rest on its laurels and bask in this architectural treasure but instead they offer a myriad of programs and events for the community. At the top of the list this month is a trip to The Harvard Museum of Natural History to see their exhibit of glass flowers (bus ride, box lunch and admission included). Then there’s a knitting club, book clubs (for every age group), visit from authors, personal chefs, musicians and even an organic farmer. Or you could join the Foodie Group that meets and eat every month. This certainly is an old library but the new librarians have used their passion as a fuel to fill it with adventure, curiosity and enthusiasm.
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