Walker Memorial Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Walker Memorial Library |
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| Country | United States |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1894 |
| Location | 800 Main Street, Westbrook, Maine |
| Collection | |
| Size | 49,000 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 119,000 |
| Population served | 17,494 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $457,899 |
| Director | Rebecca Albert |
| Staff | 13 |
| Website | https://walkerlibrary.org/ |
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Walker Memorial Library
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Frederick A. Tompson |
| Architectural style | French Chateauesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000231 |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1980 |
The Walker Memorial Library is a public library located in Westbrook, Maine, USA. You can find it at 800 Main Street. This special building was designed by Frederick A. Tompson in 1894. Its unique style looks like a French castle! The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, meaning it's an important historical building.
Contents
Discovering the Library's Design
The Walker Memorial Library stands in downtown Westbrook. It's a three-story building made of brick. Its design is very fancy, like a French chateau, which is a type of large country house or castle.
Unique Building Features
The roof of the library is shaped like a hip, with decorative points called finials along its edges. The main entrance faces Main Street. It's set back behind a round arch, with two round towers on either side that have pointy, cone-shaped roofs.
The outside of the building has cool yellow bricks and special clay panels called terra cotta for decoration. Inside, you'll see lots of oak wood beams and detailed wooden designs.
A Look at the Library's Past
Westbrook's first public library started way back in 1802. It was a "social lending library," which means people could borrow books from it. This was one of the very first libraries like it in what is now Maine.
How the Library Was Built
The first library stopped operating for a while in 1866 but started up again in 1883. In 1891, a man named Joseph Walker, who grew up in Westbrook and became rich in the lumber business, left money in his will to build a new library.
The main part of the building was designed by Portland architect Frederick Tompson. He was one of Maine's top architects at that time. Later, in 1989, a new section was added to the library using money from the town.
