{"nrhp_refnum":"79000334","name":"Lynn Public Library","other_names":["state survey no.:530"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5 N. Common St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lynn","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.46444298000006,"lon":-70.95360233899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-08-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and one-half story Renaissance Revival public library at 5 North Common Street (northwest corner of North Common and Franklin Streets) in Lynn, Massachusetts, built 1898-1900 to designs by architect George A. Moore.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the city's most elaborate example of Renaissance Revival architecture, a prominent local landmark that retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and association. Its exterior is unaltered except for replaced front doors, and its interior includes a twelve-sided court and a 1898 mural by F. Luis Mora. It also reflects the history of Lynn's public library, funded by a bequest and private subscription.","narrative":"Lynn's main public library sits at the corner of North Common and Franklin Streets. Designed by architect George A. Moore and built between 1898 and 1900, it is a two and one-half story Renaissance Revival building faced in limestone on a granite plinth, with a two-story Corinthian portico, paired Corinthian pilasters, a modillioned cornice and a solid parapet. Inside, a twelve-sided court rises from a limestone arcade to a colonnade and coffered dome, and the main reading room holds a mural by F. Luis Mora painted in 1898. The library grew from a Social Library organized in 1815 and became a free public library in 1862. A bequest from Elizabeth Shute, left in 1893 as a memorial to her husband William, along with private subscriptions, paid for the $175,000 building. The choice of Moore sparked public controversy. It has served as the city's main library since 1900 and is valued as an intact landmark.","period_of_significance":"1898-1900","architect_builder":"George A. Moore","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as the city's main library since its dedication in April 1900; exterior unaltered apart from replaced front doors.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:55.06799-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/68/7948/63794868/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/79000334.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000334/58ad4840d4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000334/58ad4840d4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lynn_Public_Library_MA_01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jameslwoodward</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:Lynn_Public_Library_MA_01.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"92000247","name":"Lynn Common Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/lynn-common-historic-district-92000247/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794868","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715686"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/lynn-public-library-79000334/"}