Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Carnegie Libraries of Massachusetts
Cities M-Z
Marlborough
(L) American Art Post card Company's 'Photolux' marque.
(R) Rotograph postcard captioned as Public Library, Marlboro, Mass. Melvil Dui would be proud.
1902 grant. Still in use, with a huge addition.
Melrose
(L) Unattractive, but very old, postcard mailed in 1904.
(R) Beautiful Rotograph card, never mailed.
1901 grant: still in use.
(R) This postcard style is nicknamed "Copper Window," for the metallic ink used in each window. The image used by Reichner Bros. is quite similar to the Rotograph card above.
Needham
1903 grant. Demolished sometime after 1950, when this postcard was sent. I presume it was defaced at that time.
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The card, not the library.
Revere
1901 grant. Opened 1903, in Georgian Revival/American Renaissance style, with every last detail from both.
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The E.M. Copeland postcard was mailed in 1908.
Rockland
(L) Library and Vietnam Memorial, by Country Colour. Deckle edge cropped.
(R) Raphael Tuck & Sons' Post Card, printed in Germany.
1903 grant; building still in use today. It looks like it was essentially untouched for ca. 35 years.
Rockport
(L) If you're fascinated by right sides of libraries, this is the card for you. Albertype card, mailed 1944. Definitely Albertype's quality was beginning to suffer.
(R) Metropolitan News card, almost ethereal in quality.
Also a 1903 grant. According to Corinne Smith, this building was converted to a private residence. Unfortunately, this was right at the time the US economy sank (2007), so the building went up for sale once again. Said to be a private home.
Saugus
1916 grant: demolished some time after its 1996 replacement.
By the way, like so many public libraries which demolished their Carnegie buildings, Saugus Public Library does not 'fess up to it either.
Edward Wells postcard, mailed in 1942.
Somerville
Central
Built in 1907; still in use.
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This is a Curt Teich 'C.T. American Art' postcard, printed in 1914.
West
(L) Architect's rendering on a Geo. S. Graves postcard. Caption:
New City Library now being erected on State Street. Cost, $325,000. Length, 223 feet. Depth, 87 feet. Materials, white marble with terra cotta frieze, and green tile roof.
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(R) Early Albertype card, never mailed.
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As with the New York Public Library, postcards exist of the Springfield main library long before (1910) its completion (dedicated in 1912).
The building is still in use and restored in 1998.
Forest Park Library
(L) Unattributed.
(R) Hugh C. Leighton card, mailed in 1910.
Indian Orchard
The Indian Orchard neighborhood branch was built in 1909 in Classical Revival manner.
Memorial Square
This Tichnor Bros. postcard appears to be that of the Memorial Square Branch, but it's coloring is a bit too exuberant for me to be certain. Both the Central and the Memorial Square branches (still extant) are a greyish-beige.
Stoneham
Built in 1904: required its first (Brown) addition in 1931, built by Coolidge and Carlson. Still in use.
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The attractive tinted postcard was made by Robbins Bros., and was never mailed.
Taunton
1902 Carnegie grant. Still in use.
A.C. Bosselman card.
Turners Falls
1903 Carnegie grant. Still in use.
(L) Litho-chrome brand card, mailed in 1908.
(R) German postcard, also mailed in 1908.
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Can't accuse either firm of poaching, can we?
Walpole
1901 grant. Surprisingly, still in use, with renovations and remodeling.
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Herbert W. Rhodes postcard, mailed in 1906. It certainly isn't a good postcard, but it will serve.