Randall Library

Randall Memorial Library
Randall Library in 2018
LocationStow, Massachusetts, United States of America
TypePublic Library
Established1851
Branches1
Access and use
Population served7,174 (2020 census)
Other information
Websitehttps://www.stow-ma.gov/randall-library

The Randall Library is a public library at 19 Crescent Street in Stow, Massachusetts. In 1851 John Witt Randall, a notable naturalist, poet, and art collector, donated his collection of 700 books to form a library and left a bequest in his will to construct the current library building and to fund a permanent trust.[1] The library is part of the Minuteman Library Network.[2]

Architecture

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The library building was designed by the architect George G. Adams in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and built in 1893 by the contractor, A. P. Powers. A large addition was built in 1976. In 2021, town voters passed a major renovation project to demolish and rebuild the 1976 addition and restore parts of the historic 1800s section of the library.[3]

Black and white photograph of the historic 1800s Randall Library structure
Structure before the 1976 addition

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About the Library | Stow MA".
  2. ^ "Randall Library | Stow MA".
  3. ^ "Library Renovation Project Page | Stow MA". www.stow-ma.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
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42°26′13″N 71°30′17″W / 42.43704°N 71.50476°W / 42.43704; -71.50476


Photograph of a brick structure and large tree
Main entrance in the 1970s addition