Wellesley Hills Branch Library
Also known as: Wellesley Free Library; Hills Branch
Why it's listed
Wellesley Hills Branch Library, at 210 Washington Street, is a Colonial Revival municipal building completed in 1927-28. Hampton F. Shirer designed it from sketches by fellow local architect Ralph H. Hannaford. The one-story building on a raised basement has local fieldstone walls, stone-framed openings and a Ludowici-Celadon clay tile roof, with a wooden cupola at the junction of its two gabled wings. Inside, the Adults' and Children's Reading Rooms keep vaulted ceilings, pigmented California Stucco trim, fireplace nooks and built-in oak benches. It is the only building in Wellesley constructed specifically as a branch library, and it grew from village lending libraries dating to the late 1870s. It was also the first all-local-stone building in town, using fieldstone donated by Isaac Sprague, and it earned honorable mention for the J. Harleston Parker Medal in 1930. Its architecture and its place in the town's civic improvements and library history supported its listing.
Significance in brief: It is the only building in Wellesley built specifically as a branch library and reflects the town's effort to create a system of neighborhood branches, continuing village library service dating to the late 1870s. It is a well-preserved example of late 1920s library design and was the first all-local-stone building in town, receiving honorable mention for the J. Harleston Parker Medal in 1930.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07000546, listed June 12, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 210 Washington St., Wellesley |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | June 12, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000546 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1927-1957 |
| Architect / builder | Shirer, Hampton F.; Hannaford, R. H.; Griffin, John F. Company; Ludowici-Celadon Company; California Stone Products Corporation |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function as library, noted as closed as of 2007. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.31477, -71.27087 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07000546.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7981249
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.