Pittsfield Public Library

The Pittsfield Public Library is located at 110 Library Street in Pittsfield, Maine. The building it occupies is a Beaux Arts building designed by Albert Randolph Ross, and was built in 1903-04 with funding assistance from Andrew Carnegie. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is one of the state's oldest Beaux Arts buildings, and one of the most architecturally distinctive in the town.[1]

Pittsfield Public Library
Early 20th century postcard view
Location110 Library St., Pittsfield, Maine
Coordinates44°46′55″N 69°23′0″W
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1903 (1903)
Built byM.C. Foster and Sons
ArchitectAlbert Randolph Ross
Architectural styleBeaux Arts
NRHP reference No.83000471[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 4, 1983

Architecture and history
The library in 2012

The Pittsfield Public Library is set on a roughly square lot at the southwest corner of Library and Main Streets, just across the railroad tracks south of the town center. The building is oriented facing toward the corner, fronted by a grassy plaza, with a central domed section flanked by rectangular wings radiating to either side. The entrance is at the center, in a round-arch opening flanked by engaged columns and topped by a gabled Classical pediment. The building is constructed out of white brick, and rests on the granite foundation. The interior is organized with the librarian's desk at the center, with stacks radiating behind it, and reading rooms with bookcases in the wings. The basement has been adapted to house additional stacks.[2]

The library's construction was accomplished through the efforts of local mill owner Robert Dodson, and received a funding grant from Andrew Carnegie. The designer was New York City architect Albert Randolph Ross, who also designed two other Maine libraries, including the Carnegie-funded library at Good Will-Hinckley.[2]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Pittsfield Public Library". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
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