{"nrhp_refnum":"89001316","name":"Wollaston Branch, Thomas Crane Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"41 Beale St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Quincy","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.266736481000066,"lon":-71.01792487699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story stucco branch library at 41 Beale Street in the Wollaston section of Quincy, Massachusetts, built in 1922 to designs by Boston architect William Chapman.","why_significant":"The library reflects the growth of Quincy's commercial and civic neighborhood centers and the expansion of municipal services in the 1920s. It is also a well-preserved example of Classical Revival architecture applied to a small public building, with its integrity intact. It is considered significant at the local level.","narrative":"Built in 1922 at 41 Beale Street in Quincy's Wollaston neighborhood, this small branch library was designed by William Chapman, a Boston architect who lived in Wollaston. The Wollaston Women's Club raised funds and presented the land to the trustees of the Thomas Crane Library, and part of the Crane Memorial Fund paid for the $15,000 building, placed near two neighborhood schools. It is one of two branch libraries erected in Quincy in the early 1920s. The one-story rectangular stucco building has a hip roof and a projecting central gabled pavilion. Its entrance has a transomed door with a mitered surround, Ionic pilasters, a dentilled entablature and an arched pediment holding a carved book framed by acanthus leaves, with a granite band above. The library still serves its original purpose and retains its design, materials and setting. It reflects the 1920s growth of civic and commercial centers in Quincy and the spread of neighborhood library service.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"William Chapman","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Remains in use as a public library; condition described as good, with no major alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:12:59.897685-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/7925/63792528/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001316.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001316/66f733c061-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001316/66f733c061-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wollaston_Branch_Thomas_Crane_Public_Library_Quincy_MA.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:Wollaston_Branch_Thomas_Crane_Public_Library_Quincy_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792528","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q69863352"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/wollaston-branch-thomas-crane-public-library-89001316/"}