{"nrhp_refnum":"89000221","name":"Rockland Memorial Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"382 Union St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rockland","county":"Plymouth County","state":"MA","lat":42.138961651000045,"lon":-70.91717669299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-03-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Classical Revival public library building at 382 Union Street in Rockland, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, built in 1903 to designs by McLean & Wright of Boston, with brick walls and terra cotta trim.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is the finest architectural monument in Rockland and retains nearly all of its original exterior and interior features. It was built with a Carnegie grant and combined a public library with a memorial to the town's Civil War soldiers. It meets Criteria A and C at the local level.","narrative":"Rockland Memorial Library, at 382 Union Street, is a brick and terra cotta Classical Revival building completed in 1903 for the town of Rockland, Massachusetts. Boston architects McLean & Wright designed it on a cross-shaped plan around a central rotunda with eight Sienna marble columns, flanked by two reading rooms with oak mantelpieces. The facade has a projecting pavilion with Ionic columns, a pediment and a town seal medallion. Marble plaques in the vestibule list 328 local Civil War soldiers and sailors, reflecting the plan to join a soldiers' memorial with the town's first purpose-built public library. Funding came from a $12,500 Carnegie grant in 1902, matched by the town, after earlier collections had been housed in private homes and a town building lost to fire in 1890. The building has changed very little since construction and remains the town's public library. It was listed for its local architectural importance and its link to Rockland's growth as an independent town.","period_of_significance":"1903-1938","architect_builder":"McLean & Wright (Boston)","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals/Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as the town's public library.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.47485-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/7965/63796582/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000221.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000221/3447033a44-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000221/3447033a44-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rockland_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rockland_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796582","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockland_Memorial_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7355452"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/plymouth-county/rockland-memorial-library-89000221/"}