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The Concord Free Public Library submits to the Town its sixty-first Annual Report, showing by the accompanying reports of its Architects, Treasurer, Auditing Committee, and Librarian the amount and condition of its property, the additions to it and the uses made of it during the year 1933.

Background of the Remodeling

Mr. William Munroe, a native of Concord, a textile merchant of Boston and London, bought several parcels of land at the junction of Main and Sudbury Streets and erected thereon a library building.

He gave the lands and building in 1873 to the Concord Free Public Library, a corporation created to receive the gift by a special act of the General Court of Massachusetts, chapter 99 of the Acts of 1873, and the Town in accordance with that Act conveyed its library to the Corporation.

Mr. Munroe also gave funds and made bequests for the maintenance and extension of the library, and his sisters, Mary and Eliza, made additional bequests.

He expressed in his will his belief that “another half century of prosperity in New England” would make necessary an enlargement of his building, and accordingly he established our Building Fund.

The growth of the Town produced the need of additional room for books as early as 1889 and the Intermediate School House was moved and made a temporary annex to the rear of the building.

In 1913 a committee of fifteen was formed which reported in favor of enlarging the building to provide for increased volumes (40,000 to 60,000), a children’s room and an Art Department. Plans and specifications were prepared but when the bids were received we found our funds were not sufficient to meet the high cost of those war days.

We decided to compromise by building the book stack at once and waiting for funds to accumulate before tackling the main building. The Town voted to add to those funds by reimbursing the Corporation in each of ten years the cost of fuel, light, and heat of the preceding year. In 1927 this vote was extended for another ten years. The stack was completed in 1917.

Last spring brought the “new deal” with its hope of helping the unemployment situation by spending rather than saving, and by raising prices.

The increase in volumes to 60,000 had made the third tier of the stack almost a necessity and our funds seemed adequate. We decided, therefore, to go ahead with the enlarging the building.

Upon going over carefully the plans of 1916 we decided that we better make a fresh start. We turned, therefore, to our townsman, Mr. Harry B. Little, of Frohman, Robb & Little, who had done the Savings Bank and the Antiquarian Society. It seemed that this, one of the most important points in Concord, should have the services of the man in whose judgment and skill we had the most confidence.

We appreciated the difficult problem of preserving the old delivery room, “the heart of the library,” and yet changing to Colonial the Gothic exterior. Mr. Little’s reply was, “the more difficult the problem, the greater the challenge.” He said he wanted the exterior to get away from the fussiness in vogue during the lowest ebb of American Architecture, not by superimposing our ideas on those of that period, but by going back to the strong simplicity of the early days.

After the general plans had received our approval we decided not to have the necessary delay of waiting for detailed plans and competitive bids but to proceed at once under a “cost plus” contract containing a maximum of $80,000 with the Lawson W. Oakes, Incorporated, by whom the Antiquarian House had been built.

We arranged with the School Committee for the use of temporary quarters in the north end of the Old High School Building, thus enabling us to continue our service to the public and yet allow the Contractors’ workmen the uninterrupted use of our building. We made some minor changes to adapt the rooms to our use and used messengers to get called-for books to and fro across Sudbury Road, leaving the books in the delivery room and stack undisturbed. Other articles, such as our statuary and pictures, were stored on planks placed over the second tier in the stack.

The power shovel started to break ground and remove our rhododendron bushes on June 19 and the temporary quarters were opened that same day.

Public service in the remodeled building was resumed January 26, and a “visiting” day for the inspection of our new plant was held the next day.

During these seven months we have had the constant supervision of the progress of the work by Mr. Little. Mr. Allen French, Chairman of the Library Committee, and Miss Sarah Ripley Bartlett, the Librarian, have given us the benefit of their advice and experience, sitting in with us as “unofficial observers.” The foreman, Mr. William Munn, has been most obliging and painstaking, never allowing any skimping in labor or materials. Mr. Michael Mahony, after forty years of faithful service as our janitor, by reason of advancing years felt unable to undertake the full responsibility of that position.

We have employed Mr. Arthur W. Berry as our janitor, he to have the assistance of a man of his own choosing and paying. Mr. Lawrence Flannery is his present choice.

We retain “Michael” as an assistant janitor, at a somewhat reduced compensation, of course.

The marble tablet in the old vestibule has been placed near the rear door and under it a small wooden tablet. A new slate tablet framed in marble has been placed in the new vestibule.

Here are the inscriptions on each.

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