Bridgewater Public Library, New
15 South St
1971
Architectural Style
Colonial Revival
Significance
Architecture, Community Planning, Education
Use Type
Library
Neighborhood
Bridgewater Town Center
Massachusetts Historical Commission Report
Architectural Significance
Situated on well-landscaped grounds, adjacent to the old (1881) Public Library, the new Bridgewater Public Library is an appealing Georgian Revival masonry building. Its main facade is dominated by a handsome, pedimented Georgian Revival portico.
Historical Significance
In 1968 Mrs. Walter S. Little (Flora Townsend) bequeathed $500,000 toward the construction of a new library for Bridgewater. Construction began in July 1971 and the building was occupied on December 19, 1972. It was designed by John S. Carr Associates of Natick and was constructed by Pagani Brothers Construction Company of West Bridgewater. The new library contains 16,000 square feet—enough stack space for 70,000 volumes. The old library's three rooms were insufficient for the needs of the community's reading public. Currently the old library contains school superintendants' offices.
The 1852 and 1879 maps of Bridgewater show two small houses on this site (labeled M. Wentworth in 1852 and Mrs. Simpson and H. T. Pratt in 1879)