{"nrhp_refnum":"99000188","name":"Bancroft Memorial Library","other_names":["Hopedale Public Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"50 Hopedale St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hopedale","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.13033732000008,"lon":-71.54120084699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-02-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Art","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Romanesque Revival granite municipal library on a raised basement at 50 Hopedale Street in Hopedale, Massachusetts, designed in 1898 by C. Howard Walker of Walker & Kimball. The lot also holds a marble fountain topped by the Statue of Hope.","why_significant":"The library is presented as a fine example of Hopedale's late 19th-century institutional growth as a planned company town under the Draper company. Its Romanesque-inspired design and intact interior are noted. The 1904 fountain and statue by Waldo Story is the town's most elaborate piece of outdoor sculpture. It meets Criteria A and C at the local level.","narrative":"Bancroft Memorial Library, at 50 Hopedale Street, is a one-story Romanesque Revival building of pink Milford granite with a slate cross-gable roof, designed in 1898 by C. Howard Walker of the Boston firm Walker & Kimball. Joseph Burbier Bancroft, a vice-president of the Draper company, had it built as a tribute to his late wife, and it was given to the town. Inside, the original plan survives, including oak arched ceiling trusses, carved oak screens, leaded-glass windows, fireplaces and a semi-circular oak circulation desk. On the lawn stands a marble drinking fountain topped by the Statue of Hope, sculpted by Waldo Story in Rome, given by Susan Preston Draper in 1904 and dedicated in 1905. Both gifts reflect the civic improvement campaign in Hopedale, a planned company town shaped by the Draper family. The property was recognized for its architecture, art and local educational role between 1898 and 1948.","period_of_significance":"1898-1948","architect_builder":"C. Howard Walker of Walker & Kimball (Boston); fountain sculpted by Waldo Story","architectural_style":"Romanesque","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Library described as in excellent condition and still used as a library; the fountain is deteriorating, with cleaning and stabilization anticipated.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.983098-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/8/7972/63797208/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/99000188.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000188/29485dde17-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000188/29485dde17-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bancroft_Memorial_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bancroft_Memorial_Library.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"02000635","name":"Hopedale Village Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/hopedale-village-historic-district-02000635/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797208","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bancroft_Memorial_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4854160"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/bancroft-memorial-library-99000188/"}