MassachusettsThe Indian Orchard Branch Library at 44 Oak Street in Springfield is a Classical Revival brick-and-terra-cotta library building constructed in 1908 and opened in March 1909. It was designed by Springfield architect John W. Donohue, best known as the premier architect for the city's Catholic diocese, and its construction was funded in part by a $50,000 grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It was Springfield's first purpose-built branch library, serving the industrial, immigrant-rich Indian Orchard neighborhood. The library is significant for its architecture as a well-preserved and nationally recognized work by Donohue and for its role in community planning and development as the city extended library services to its outlying neighborhoods.
Indian Orchard Branch Library
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Indian Orchard Branch Library is a landmark in Springfield, Hampden County. It is one of 3,654 landmarks documented in Hampden County, among 3,815 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.
The site sits at 42.1590, -72.5036 near Springfield. The nearest cataloged historic site is Indian Orchard Fire and Police Sub-Station, Old (landmark), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Rieutord Block, Myrtle Street School, and Immaculate Conception Church Rectory and Garage.
This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
The Indian Orchard Branch Library at 44 Oak Street in Springfield's Indian Orchard neighborhood is a Classical Revival building constructed in 1909 to a design by prominent local architect John W. Donohue, and was the first permanent branch library in the Springfield public library system. It was funded in part by a grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, following an earlier private library founded in 1859 by the Indian Orchard Mills Corporation. Admired for its elegant Tuscan-columned design, it was featured in a 1911 edition of The American Architect and remains an active branch of the Springfield City Library. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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