{"nrhp_refnum":"86001051","name":"Millicent Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"45 Center St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fairhaven","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.64474037700006,"lon":-70.90352017199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-05-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A public library building at 45 Center Street in the center of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, built in 1891-1892 and designed by Boston architect Charles Brigham. It was financed by local philanthropist Henry H. Rogers and is now owned by the Town of Fairhaven.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is a well-preserved public building financed by a local philanthropist. It is an outstanding blend of Richardsonian Romanesque massing and Renaissance Revival detailing by Charles Brigham, a distinguished Massachusetts architect. It was commissioned by oil magnate Henry H. Rogers as a memorial to his daughter Millicent, and is one of several civic buildings Brigham designed and Rogers gave to the town.","narrative":"Millicent Library is a public library in the center of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, built in 1891-1892 to a design by Boston architect Charles Brigham. Oil executive and Fairhaven native Henry H. Rogers paid for it as a memorial to his daughter Millicent, who died at seventeen in 1890 after a lifelong love of reading. The building combines the towers, apsidal bay and round-arched porch of the Richardsonian Romanesque with delicate Renaissance Revival terra cotta ornament, set against light brown Dedham stone and a granite foundation. Inside are a tiled vestibule, a main hall with a sixteen-foot stained glass window made in London, and reading and music rooms with decorative fireplaces and plasterwork. The library opened on January 30, 1893, and Rogers endowed its upkeep. A 1968 addition was designed to blend with the original. It is one of several Brigham buildings Rogers gave to the town, and it is recognized for its architecture and for its philanthropic origins.","period_of_significance":"1891-1893","architect_builder":"Charles Brigham (architect); Norcross Bros of Worcester (builder)","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque form and massing with Renaissance Revival detailing","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in good condition, on its original site; the form describes it as well preserved, with a 1968 addition and a 1976 extension of the stacks.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.462996-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/7944/63794450/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001051.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001051/a109bb39a0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001051/a109bb39a0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1899_Fairhaven_public_library_Massachusetts.png\" rel=\"noopener\">Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1899_Fairhaven_public_library_Massachusetts.png"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794450","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millicent_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6859553"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/millicent-library-86001051/"}