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DESIGN BUREAU
Structures & Spaces
BEFORE & AFTER
A Library Revamp Long Overdue
a Fresh paint job and new reading spaces make this public library feel like new
C
oncord, Massachusetts, has produced some of America’s most prolific authors; Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Louisa May Alcott all called the small town home. With so many writers, it’s no surprise that the Concord Free Public Library has always been a local gathering spot. Originally built in 1873 in the high Victorian style, the library has since experienced a series of additions and renovations that have discouraged visitors and left many structural and mechanical problems in their wake. In 2005, local architect Stewart Roberts and his team at Johnson Roberts Associates reworked the library to bring it closer to its original design, concentrating their energies on reviving the dingy central atrium. The architects reintroduced the original dark green and cream Victorian color scheme into the grand space and painted the rest of the building’s rooms to match. Back on the atrium’s main floor, they placed comfy armchairs around low tables and coffee table books. The groupings entice library visitors to settle in with a good book and enjoy the space. “We wanted to make it into the living room of the town,” Roberts says. And if the library’s recent visitor uptick is any indicator, the renovation has definitely succeeded. —matthew keeshin
Daniel Chester French, the sculptor behind Washington D.C.’s impressive Lincoln Memorial, chiseled the marble sculpture of fellow Concordian Ralph Waldo Emerson Photos courtesy of Johnson Roberts Associates