{"nrhp_refnum":"85002014","name":"Converse Memorial Building","other_names":["Malden Public Library","Converse Memorial Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"36 Salem St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Malden","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.427754400000055,"lon":-71.06610058806663,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-05","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1987-12-23","areas_of_significance":["Industry","Landscape Architecture","Art","Education","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A public library building at 36 Salem Street in Malden Center, Massachusetts, completed in 1885 to designs by Henry Hobson Richardson, with additions in 1896 and 1916.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a major work by Richardson, the most prominent American architect of his time, and an outstanding composition of library, art gallery and garden. It is also tied to the history of Malden and to the philanthropy of the Converse family, who funded it as a memorial to their son Frank Eugene Converse. It is judged significant at local, state and national levels under criteria B and C.","narrative":"Malden's public library, built in 1885 on Salem Street at Park Street, is a rock-faced red sandstone building designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. Elisha Slade Converse and his wife Mary funded it as a memorial to their eldest son, Frank, who was killed during a bank robbery in 1863. Elisha Converse, a rubber manufacturer and Malden's first mayor, later left funds for additions and art. Features include an octagonal stair tower, a arcaded Memorial Porch with carved capitals, and a Main Hall with an open-timbered barrel-vaulted ceiling. Richardson also designed much of the oak furniture, which remains in use. Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge added a rear wing and book stacks in 1896, and Newhall and Blevins added an octagonal art gallery in 1916. Frederick Law Olmsted helped select the site. The building is listed for its architecture and its link to Richardson and the Converse family.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"H. H. Richardson; Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge; Louis Chapelle Newhall","architectural_style":"Richardson Romanesque","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as the public library; generally in good condition, with interior finishes in excellent preservation and some deteriorated brownstone balusters and paving slabs.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.54928-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/52/7956/63795652/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85002014.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002014/3f59e7d413-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002014/3f59e7d413-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Converse_Memorial_Library_(Malden,_MA)_-_angle_view.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, <a href=\"http://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:Converse_Memorial_Library_(Malden,_MA)_-_angle_view.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795652","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converse_Memorial_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5166458"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/converse-memorial-building-85002014/"}