{"nrhp_refnum":"75000248","name":"Provincetown Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"330 Commercial St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Provincetown","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":42.05258718600004,"lon":-70.18517607399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-04-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story public library building at 330 Commercial Street in the center of Provincetown, Massachusetts, built by the town in 1874 with a vernacular mansard roof.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is architecturally significant as the only Second Empire style building with a mansard roof in Provincetown. It is also a cultural and educational resource that has served the town's community of artists and writers and preserves the town's historical records.","narrative":"Built by the town in 1874, the Provincetown Public Library at 330 Commercial Street is a two-story frame building topped by a vernacular mansard roof covered in clapboards. It is the only Second Empire style building in town, yet it matches neighboring buildings in height, massing, setback and color. A one-story portico with carvings and dentils shelters the entrance, paired scroll brackets support the cornice, and the windows carry triangular and segmental pediments. Vinyl siding now imitates the original clapboards, and planned restoration would bring back a lost cupola and uncover three blocked windows. Much of the plain plaster-and-painted-wood interior is original because the building has always been a library. Beyond its architecture, the library has served Provincetown's artists and writers, with card holders said to include Eugene O'Neill, John Dos Passos and Tennessee Williams. It also works as a social center and keeper of the town's historical records.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a library; restoration planned or in progress, including a replacement cupola and three covered windows. The exterior is covered in vinyl siding imitating the original clapboards.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.42336-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/43/7940/63794043/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/75000248.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000248/9f68284533-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000248/9f68284533-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Phoebe","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rose_Dorothea_in_the_Provincetown_public_library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Phoebe</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rose_Dorothea_in_the_Provincetown_public_library.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"89001148","name":"Provincetown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/provincetown-historic-district-89001148/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794043","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincetown_Public_Library_(old)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7252604"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/provincetown-public-library-75000248/"}