{"nrhp_refnum":"00000146","name":"Warren Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St. at Bacon St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Warren","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.213190000000054,"lon":-72.19303999999994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-03-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small Richardsonian Romanesque public library of granite and brownstone at Main and Bacon Streets in the center of Warren, Worcester County, Massachusetts. It was built in 1889 to designs by architect Amos P. Cutting and dedicated in 1890.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion A for the library's long service as a cultural center and meeting place for Warren. Under Criterion C it is a fine small-scale public building in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, with exceptionally well-preserved exterior and interior, original stained glass and furniture. It is described as the single finest building in town.","narrative":"Built in 1889 and dedicated in 1890, this granite and brownstone library stands at Main and Bacon Streets in the center of Warren, Massachusetts. Amos P. Cutting designed it in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, with an asymmetrical plan, rusticated stone, round arches, a sixty-foot corner tower and an ornate carved oriel window with an owl at its base. The land was donated by Wilson H. Fairbank, and local donors and area mills helped fund construction after the library outgrew its rooms in the town hall. Inside, quartered oak woodwork, original furniture, stained glass and a dramatic stack-room staircase added in 1901 survive. The upper floor served as Library Hall, used for meetings and a local museum. The building is recognized for its role as a cultural center and meeting place for the town, and for its notably intact architecture, which is regarded as the finest in Warren.","period_of_significance":"1889-1949","architect_builder":"Amos P. Cutting, architect; Patrick Beston, builder (1889); Cutting, Carleton & Cutting, architect (1901 interior)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Romanesque (Richardsonian Romanesque)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as extremely well preserved inside and out; still used as a library, with the second-floor hall housing a museum. Modern protective glass panels cover the stained glass windows.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:05.217912-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/7974/63797464/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/00000146.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000146/b6b94aaec5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000146/b6b94aaec5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warren_Mass_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warren_Mass_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797464","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Public_Library_(Warren,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7970435"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/warren-public-library-00000146/"}