{"nrhp_refnum":"90000037","name":"Waban Branch Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1608 Beacon St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.32702076500004,"lon":-71.22968813799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2-story brick branch library at 1608 Beacon Street in the Waban village of Newton, Massachusetts, built in 1929 and designed by Densmore, LeClear & Robbins.","why_significant":"It is one of five branch libraries built in Newton by citizen subscription between 1926 and 1939, reflecting the city's growth and the strength of its village system. It is also a good institutional example of the Tudor Revival style by a well-known Boston firm.","narrative":"Waban Branch Library, at 1608 Beacon Street on a prominent corner at the eastern edge of Waban's village center, is a Tudor Revival building designed in 1929 by the Boston firm Densmore, LeClear & Robbins. It is a 1 1/2-story rectangular brick structure with a slate gable roof and raised end walls. The five-bay facade centers on a large projecting cross gable with an attached arched entry porch, and the flanking windows have heavy mullions set in rusticated frames. The library was the fourth Newton branch built by public subscription and donated to the city. The Waban Public Library Association raised $63,500 from about 550 local families. Construction began in 1929, and the building was dedicated on May 2, 1930. It is one of five branch libraries funded this way between 1926 and 1939, a pattern that reflects Newton's rapid growth and the continuing strength of its villages. The building remains a library, is in excellent condition, and has had no major alterations.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Densmore, LeClear & Robbins","architectural_style":"Tudor Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is a library; condition listed as excellent 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 02:13:04.785055-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/25/7919/63791925/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000037.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000037/c4f7eeeebf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000037/c4f7eeeebf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waban_Library_Center,_Waban_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</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:Waban_Library_Center,_Waban_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791925","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waban_Library_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715966"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/waban-branch-library-90000037/"}