{"nrhp_refnum":"02000631","name":"Flint Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Middleton","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.594919538000056,"lon":-71.01654638599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-06-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1½-story red brick public library at 2 North Main Street in the center of Middleton, Essex County, Massachusetts, designed by Loring & Phipps and completed in 1891. It is owned by the Town of Middleton.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is significant for its link to Middleton's late 19th-century development and as an intact example of Richardsonian Romanesque design, the only one in town. It was the town's first public library building and has served that role for over 100 years. It also retains original features and stained glass by Donald MacDonald.","narrative":"Built in 1891 at 2 North Main Street, this red brick library is a Richardsonian Romanesque building in the center of Middleton. It rises 1½ stories from a rusticated brownstone foundation to a slate hip roof, with a clock tower, a broad sandstone entry arch and a round tower on the south side. Boston architects George Loring and Stanford Phipps designed it, using money left by Charles L. Flint, a Middleton native who had urged the town in 1879 to create a free public library. Before the building opened in 1892, the collection was kept in a room at Town Hall. Stained glass windows by Donald MacDonald, cypress interior trim, the book stacks and original weight-driven clock survive. It is the only building in Middleton in this style and has served as the town library for over a century. Grounds memorials honor local veterans, and the site may hold archaeological remains of the earlier Fuller estate.","period_of_significance":"1890-1952","architect_builder":"Loring & Phipps (architects); Smith & Meany (builders)","architectural_style":"Romanesque (Richardsonian Romanesque)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a public library; well preserved with only minor alterations, including a 1980 basement children's room and 1990 entry changes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.80475-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/12/7948/63794812/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/02000631.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000631/bc5b4b106a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000631/bc5b4b106a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flint_Public_Library,_June_2010,_Middleton_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flint_Public_Library,_June_2010,_Middleton_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794812","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5459548"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/flint-public-library-02000631/"}