Winn Memorial Library - Woburn, MA - Great Buildings of the World on Waymarking.com

The Winn Memorial Library was a bequest of Charles Bowers Winn (1838-1875). The will stated “I give and bequest to the town of Woburn, in trust, the sum of one hundred and forty thousands dollars, to be used and disposed of for the purpose and in the interest of a Public Library”. In 1876, a committee selected the reknowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson to design the library. Even though Winn did not want the building to be named after himself Richardson labelled his architectural drawing "Winn Memorial Library" and it has been known by that name ever since.

The building was built between It was built between 1876 and 1879 and is designed in a style known as Richardsonian Romanesque that is characterized by massive, masonry architecture. The 163'long building is constructed of brownstone, off white sandstone and some light granite used for trim and decoration. There is an arched entrance on the northeast side which is adjacent to a 78' high Victorian Gothic style tower. On the east side of the entrance is a 25' diameter octagonal wing that is 36' feet high.

The Winn Memorial Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987. ArchitectureWeek, the professional architecture magazine, list the Winn Memorial Library as one of the great buildings of the world.

City, State or City, Country: Woburn, MA, USA Year Built: 1876 to 1879 Architect: Henry Hobson Richardson Webpage from GreatBuildings.com or other approved listing: [Web Link] Other website with more information about building: [Web Link]

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