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Leominster Public Library

The Leominster Public Library, founded in 1856, occupied a 1910 Carnegie style building by Hartwell, Richardson and Driver with a very plain 1966 addition. The downtown site posed severe constraints, with little space for expansion and a narrow lot.

The expansion project removed the 1966 addition, replacing it with a major addition to the rear of the original building. It presents a new face and entrance to Pearl Street, with a linear concourse linking the historic and new entrances. Browsing, non-print media, the Children’s Room and a meeting room are on this concourse, with the circulation desk at the center. The second floor houses Reference and Young Adults, a major focus for the Leominster Public Library’s programs. A third floor mezzanine houses part of the collection and provides infrastructure for future expansion.

The exterior uses the rusticated buff brick of the original building as a basis for a sympathetic new building, articulated to blend the scale of old and new, but with more contemporary fenestration and detail. The third floor is expressed as a roof element to maintain the cornice line at the height of of the historic building.

(In association with Beacon Architectural Associates, executive architect)

Project Type
Library

Historic Preservation

Location
Leominster, MA

Area
44,513 sf

Cost
$9,971,600

Completion
2006

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