Thomas Crane Public Library
The Thomas Crane Public Library is a city library in Quincy, Massachusetts. Noted for its Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, the building was funded by the Crane family as a memorial to Thomas Crane, a wealthy stone contractor who got his start in the Quincy quarries. The Thomas Crane Library has the second largest municipal collection in Massachusetts after the Boston Public Library.
Architecture
The Thomas Crane Public Library was built in four stages: the original building by architect Henry Hobson Richardson; an additional ell with stack space and stained glass by William Martin Aiken in Richardson's style; a major expansion by architects Paul A. and Carroll Coletti, with stone carvings by sculptor Joseph Coletti of Quincy; and a recent addition by Boston architects Childs, Bertman, and Tseckares, which doubled the size of the library. H. H. Richardson considered this library among his most successful civic buildings, and Harper's Weekly called it "the best village library in the United States". The library was ranked 43rd in List of [America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA|a national poll conducted in 2007] by the American Institute of Architects of the favorite buildings in the nation.In addition to its architecture, the original building contains a 30 × 10 inch stained-glass window by noted American artist John LaFarge in memory of Thomas Crane, entitled the Old Philosopher. To the left of the elaborate carved fireplace is a second LaFarge window, "Angel at the Tomb", given in memory of Crane's son Benjamin Franklin Crane. The library's grounds were designed by landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted.
The main library was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, recognizing it as one of Richardson's finest library buildings.