{"nrhp_refnum":"78000446","name":"Thayer Public Library","other_names":["Water Department Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2 John F. Kennedy Memorial Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Braintree","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.20607408400008,"lon":-71.00557355199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-07-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story brick library building at 2 John F. Kennedy Memorial Drive in Braintree, Massachusetts, designed by Hammatt and Joseph E. Billings and built in 1873-74. It is now owned by the town and known as the Water Department Building.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its architecture and its role as the first public library in Braintree. It was funded through the generosity of General Sylvanus Thayer and designed by the well-known Billings brothers.","narrative":"Thayer Public Library is a one-story, rectangular brick building of about 36 by 58 feet, set on roughly one acre in a mixed civic, commercial and residential area of Braintree. Built in 1873-74 in the Renaissance Revival style, it has a slate hipped roof, granite foundation and belt course, quoined corners, and deep eaves carried on granite consoles. A round-arched central entrance with fluted pilasters and a triangular pediment dominates the facade. The design is credited to the Billings brothers, Hammatt and Joseph E., who were well known New England designers. The library was the first public library in Braintree and resulted from a gift by General Sylvanus Thayer, a native of the town and retired Army engineer, who gave funds for a fireproof building and for its support. The town supported the library for over 80 years but gained title only in the 1950s, after a larger library was built elsewhere. Since then the building has housed municipal water department offices.","period_of_significance":"1873-74","architect_builder":"Hammatt and Joseph E. Billings","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Used as offices for the municipal water department since the 1950s; condition listed as good and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.051848-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/52/7962/63796252/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000446.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000446/62928183e6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000446/62928183e6-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braintree_Old_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braintree_Old_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796252","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thayer_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7711552"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/thayer-public-library-78000446/"}