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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.
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Richardson Fireplace
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CBT
Restoration
Richardson Fireplace
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Richardson Interior
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CBT
Restoration
Richardson Interior
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