Heywood, Levi, Memorial Library Building
Also known as: Gardner Museum
Why it's listed
Built between 1885 and 1886 at 28 Pearl Street in Gardner, this one-and-one-half storey Queen Anne building served as the city's first library building and now houses the Gardner Museum. Designed by the Worcester firm Fuller and Delano, it has a granite ashlar basement, red pressed brick walls, brown sandstone and terra-cotta trim, steep slate roofs and abundant stained art glass. A gabled central pavilion carries the words Memorial Building and the name Levi Heywood. Inside, original oak woodwork, stained glass and all four fireplaces survive, despite a 1963 mezzanine. The building memorializes Levi Heywood, a Gardner native who helped develop the local chair industry and served in public office. It was given to the city in 1886 by Calvin Heywood, Helen Greenwood and Alvin Greenwood. The library operated until 1978, when consolidation of library services led to its closing and re-use as a museum. Its design quality and Heywood family associations underpin its significance.
Significance in brief: The building is argued to be among the most sophisticated examples of Queen Anne design in Central Massachusetts, with intact carved stone, terra-cotta panels, stained glass and oak woodwork. It is also significant for its ties to the Heywood family, the city's leading industrialists, who built and supported the library.
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 79000374, listed December 6, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 28 Pearl St., Gardner |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | December 6, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000374 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1885-1886 |
| Architect / builder | Fuller & Delano |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent; the library closed in 1978 and the building was re-used as the Gardner Museum. It is occupied. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Gardner Uptown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.57952, -71.98523 (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 79000374.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6535432
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.