Neilson Library - Smith College - Northampton, MA
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neoc1
N 42° 19.079 W 072° 38.265
18T E 694664 N 4687784
The old William Allan Neilson library was funded by Andrew Carnegie. It is located on the campus of Smith College at 7 Neilson Drive, Northampton, MA.
Waymark Code: WM16HJK
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 08/05/2022
Views: 2
In 1905, Andrew Carnegie gave $62,500 to Smith College to build the library. The funds were used to construct the Italian Renaissance Revival style Neilson Library which was designed by the architectural firm of Lord & Hewlett, completed in 1909, and named after the third president of the college William Allan Neilson. The library was dedicated on May 27, 1910. Smith College then enlarged the library in 1937, 1962 and 1982. The central portion of the current library maintains the original appearance of the 1909 library.
The building is constructed of red brick with brownstone trim. It has a hipped roof and a central entrance set within a rounded keystone arch and flanked by a pair of Doric columns. Above the entrance is the inscription NEILSON LIBRARY.
On the lower level, to the left and right of the entrance are three multi-pane window set within rounded arches. There are a total of eight white medallions arranged near the tops of the six arches. The upper level has a group of six windows on either side of a triple window that has a balcony below. A central gable above the triple window has a cross shaped brownstone medallion. The sides of the building have two windows within rounded keystone arches on the lower level and a group of four windows on the upper level on either side of newly constructed wings.