Architecture - H.H. Richardson Building

RICHARDSON BUILDING

1882

The Richardson building ranked 43rd out of 150 works of architecture recently selected as America's Favorite Architecture. The survey was conducted by the American Institute of Architects and Harris Interactive in 2007 on the occasion of AIA's 150th anniversary.

Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, and funded by Albert Crane in honor of his father, Thomas Crane, Quincy's original library building is built in the Romanesque style. It is considered Richardson's masterpiece in the field of library architecture. The foundation is of Quincy granite, the upper structure of North Easton granite, and the trimming of Longmeadow brownstone.

At the entrance there appears a seal of the City of Quincy, the date in Roman numerals (1881), and a crane in honor of the Crane family. The interior woodwork is of North Carolina pine. Designs for the handcrafted decorations were planned in H. H. Richardson's office and carried out by a Mr. Evans.

Overhead to the left of the fireplace is the grill which was used to separate the reading room from the closed stacks before the ell was added. Hand carved native plants and berries form part of the ornamental woodwork of the fireplace.

The "Old Philosopher" stained glass window in the front of the building was done by John LaFarge as a memorial to Thomas Crane and is considered a masterpiece of stained glass work. There are seven pieces of glass in the ear alone and a total of about a thousand pieces.

At the left of the fireplace is another LaFarge window, "Angel at the Tomb," given in memory of Thomas Crane's son, Benjamin Franklin Crane. The quotation "And his leaf shall not wither" carved in wood was originally under this window. It was shifted to the rear of the ell when the window was moved from its original place adjacent to the front door.

The bronze tablet to Mrs. Thomas Crane (Clarissa Starkey Crane) is the work of William Couper.

For more extensive information about the library building, including a timeline and a bibliography, check out the Thomas Crane Memorial Library blog.

Richardson Fireplace

Richardson Interior