{"nrhp_refnum":"84002832","name":"Stoneham Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main and Maple Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Stoneham","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.477687967000065,"lon":-71.10072928299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Roman brick public library at Main and Maple Streets in Stoneham, Massachusetts, built in 1904 in the Classical Revival style, enlarged in 1931 and again in 1983.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it Stoneham's best Classical Revival public building and notes its long association with the town library. It is tied to the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, which endowed the original $15,000 building, and to the Brown family, tanning industry leaders who donated $100,000 for the 1931 enlargement. It is argued to meet criteria A, B and C.","narrative":"Stoneham Public Library, at Main and Maple Streets, is a one-story Roman brick building that serves as the town's library. Built in 1904, it originally had three bays and a single central entrance. A 1931 addition extended the plan by two bays, added a second entrance and introduced the domed cupola with Doric columns. The five-bay facade has two Doric porticoes and paired one-over-one sash with ornamental grillework, under an asphalt-shingled hip roof. A modern wing added on the south in 1983 keeps the same height and brick. The building is considered Stoneham's finest public example of Classical Revival design. Its history also connects to philanthropy: the Carnegie Foundation endowed the original $15,000 building, and Annie Brown, from a family prominent in local leather tanning, gave $100,000 for the 1931 enlargement. The library itself was founded in 1859 from several private collections and had earlier occupied locations in Central Square.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as the town library; enlarged with a south wing in 1983.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.905044-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/6/7914/63791406/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002832.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002832/d2d76ec412-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002832/d2d76ec412-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StonehamMA_PublicLibrary.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</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:StonehamMA_PublicLibrary.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"89002277","name":"Central Square Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/central-square-historic-district-89002277/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791406","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneham_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7619190"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/stoneham-public-library-84002832/"}