1909 Public Library, Kalamazoo, Michigan

[LIB3700]

The library's early headquarters in cramped rented facilities gave way to a fine new Romanesque structure completed in 1893 with a $50,000 gift from Dr. and Mrs. E. H. Van Deusen. By the late 1920s the library had grown so much that it spilled over into the adjacent Peck and Kauffer houses on Rose Street. The depression and World War II delayed a much needed new building, but after a spirited campaign, and a favorable millage vote in 1955, the library's second new building replaced the old one on 25 May 1959. [Thanks to the Kalamazoo Public Library www.kpl.gov]

Gale Memorial Library, Laconia, NH

[LIB3417]

Napoleon Bonaparte Gale, a local banker, died in 1894. He was kind-hearted, generous, enterprising and greatly respected. He left the bulk of his fortune to the City of Laconia for a park and a public library building. Land was purchased and the building was under construction from 1901-1903. It was dedicated in June 1903. The Gale Memorial Building houses the Laconia Public Library and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The main library building is a fine example of Romanesque Revival style – a style that emphasizes weight and mass through rock-faced masonry, heavy arches, and broad roofs. This style was inspired by H. H. Richardson designed by Boston architect Charles Bingham and built by E. Noyes Whitcomb and Co. of Boston, using Deer Island granite, New Brunswick granite, oak paneling, and stained glass windows. [SOURCE]

1908 Public Library AMESBURY MA

Designed by architect Penn Varney in 1900 in the Romanesque Revival style. It was listed in 2004 as one of the Ten Most Endangered Resources in Massachusetts due to the fact that portions of the building are in danger of being destroyed in favor of expansion. [SOURCE] Amesbury Public Library Website

[LIB1877]