North Hampton Library
Description and history
The former North Hampton Library building is located in a cluster of municipal buildings on the north side of Atlantic Avenue (New Hampshire Route 111), a short way east of its junction with Lafayette Road (U.S. Route 1). It is a single-story structure, with fieldstone end walls and a side gable roof. The front facade is fieldstone (a continuation of the foundation) up to the bottoms of the windows, and is then finished in a half-timbered effect above. The main entrance is at its center, sheltered by projecting gabled portico with large timber brackets. It is flanked on the roof face by two eyebrow dormers. An addition, built in 1955, extends to the building's rear. The town's modern library is set further back on the same lot.
North Hampton's public library was established in 1892, after the state passed enabling legislation encouraging the creation of such public facilities. The library collection was originally housed in the North Hampton Town Hall, and a drive to build a dedicated facility began in 1899. Boston architect J. Lawrence Berry's first design, submitted in 1904, was rejected by the town meeting as too expensive to build, and the present design was accepted and built in 1907. A new library building was constructed in 1973, and this building has since housed town offices.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places". New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for North Hampton Library" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-07-11.