94 State Street

History

This three-story brick building was built in 1771 as a private dwelling. It was renovated for use as a public library in 1865 and achieved its present appearance in the late 19th century.

Characteristics of the Georgian style include the original 5 x 4-bay massing, symmetry, the double-hipped roof, the bold modillion cornice, and the attenuated third-story openings. Projecting belt courses are located between the stories. The original center entrance featured an entablatured surround, and the windows had 6/6 sash with a 3 x 2-light unit in the attic.

The building rests on a foundation of rough granite blocks with smooth top margins and a curved water table. The building features a smooth brick exterior laid in common bond. The present brick veneer dates to the 1880s, when the mastic coating applied in the 1860s was removed and the rear addition was completed. The entrance porch, which now consists of paired Ionic columns (a c. 1865 addition), is fronted by granite steps with a wrought iron curved railing. Echoing the columns is a single pilaster on either side of the rusticated wood door surround. The entrance has been fitted with double glass-and-wood doors; each leaf has a 2 x 3-light over a molded panel. The first- and second-floor windows have 2/2 wooden sash with molded surrounds and exterior storm windows. The windows are capped by rectangular sandstone lintels with chamfered lower edges and plain stone sills. Between the center windows on the second and third floors, a marble panel with flared corners features raised letters reading “Public Library and Reading Room”. The third-floor windows contain smaller 2/2 sashes.

Projecting near the center of the north and south elevations is a shallow, 2 1/2-story gable with returns. The additions are just two bays wide with longer 2/2 windows on the upper level and a semi-circular lunette in the attic. On the north side, the gable is fronted by a secondary entrance porch supported by paired fluted Corinthian columns resting on paneled bases. The columns are spanned by arched members and display a wide frieze and dentil course. Each leaf of the large double-doored entrance has three raised panels. The entrance is capped by a rectangular transom, and the original granite steps have been topped by a thick stone that serves as a base for the ramp. An exterior brick chimney rises to the rear of the gable. To the west of the gabled projections, the building is punctuated by two stories of elongated 2/2 windows with the same lintel and cornice treatment. A large iron fire escape is mounted on the south elevation.

The building is set back from State Street by a small front lawn. Along the street, there is a granite wall about 1 1/2 feet high. The wall curves at the front walk and is topped by iron pickets. Several bushes and flowering trees dot the property. The area to the south of the library was the site of the former YMCA, which burned in 1987.

Inside, the Directors’ Room still retains its original Federal-style detailing, including the delicate dentilwork, egg-and-dart moldings, the mantelpiece carving, and arched window recesses with keystones and scrolls. The first-floor reading room also retains considerable decorative detailing. The reading room was installed in 1870, and the Simpson Annex, including the vaulted upstairs reading room, dates to 1880.

This Georgian-style residence was constructed in 1771 by Capt. Patrick Tracy, who built the house for his son, Nathaniel Tracy. The present building stands on the site of a house erected by Greenleaf and later occupied by Rev. John Lowell, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Newburyport. The former house, moved to Temple Street by Patrick Tracy, is marked with a plaque. The Tracy estate originally extended to Green Street and included gardens, fruit orchards, barns, stables, and other outbuildings.

Wealthy merchant and ardent patriot Nathaniel Tracy was one of the Revolution’s major financiers. He owned a fleet of 110 ships, including many that were commissioned as privateers during the War. Tracy served as a representative to the Massachusetts State Constitutional Convention in 1779, served as a town selectman in 1780 and 1782, and was one of the founders of the St. John’s Masonic Lodge. Nathaniel Tracy married the daughter of Colonel Jeremiah Lee, one of Marblehead’s most prominent citizens.

After the Tracy fortune was devastated by the Revolutionary War, the property subsequently passed to Jonathan Jackson, Tracy’s brother-in-law and business partner in the importing firm of Jackson, Tracy and Tracy. Jackson served on the Committee of Safety, Correspondence, and Inspection in 1775-7. He was elected to the General Court in 1776 & 1777. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1782. He also served in the Massachusetts Senate in 1789 and as a Census Commissioner in 1790. During Jackson’s residence, among the famous who were entertained in the house were John Hancock and George Washington.

Between 1791 and 1796, the Tracy house was occupied by the eccentric Lord Timothy Dexter. Soon thereafter, the house was purchased by merchant James Prince, who served as an early selectman and collector of the port. Due to financial difficulties, Prince was forced to rent the house in 1807. The tenant, James Coburn, opened the house to travelers as the Sun Hotel and continued to operate his business here until 1810. By 1824, James Prince was living in the Tracy House again. During his tenure, the General Marquis de Lafayette was escorted to the house by parade, where he dined with invited guests before spending the night.

In 1863, the Tracy House was purchased for use as a public library for $6,000, raised primarily through public subscription. Alterations to the building were completed in 1865, according to the designs of noted Boston architect Arthur Gilman, who was a native of Newburyport. Albert Currier, former mayor of the City, served as the construction superintendent. The cost of the alterations was approximately $10,000, and neither Gilman nor Currier charged any fees. The building was deeded to the City in September 1865 and opened to the public on January 1, 1866. As part of the renovations, the brick dwelling was covered with mastic, the windows were altered to contain 2/2 sash, and the original recessed entrance with pilasters and dentils had been replaced by the present entrance porch supported by Ionic columns. An iron fence was erected around the property.

In 1870, William C. Todd established a free reading room in connection with the Public Library. Todd had served as the principal of the Female High School of Newburyport. Todd recognized the free reading room, containing the leading newspapers and magazines of the day, as necessary as free schools and free libraries. In 1881, Michael H. Simpson of Boston and others contributed $22,000 for the construction of a reading room. The Simpson Annex was completed and dedicated on April 28, 1882. The mastic covering on the exterior of the building was removed, and a new veneer of pressed brick was applied. The tall brick chimneys were also removed at this time. The plans for the addition were drawn by Rufus Sargent of Newburyport, and the contractor was Albert Currier. The 48 x 28’ reading room is 14 feet high and provides shelves for 25,000 additional volumes. The room was finished in quartered oak.

The Newburyport Public Library is one of the oldest public libraries in the state, following the examples of Wayland, New Bedford, Peabody, Boston, Concord, Southborough, Gloucester, and other places. In 1851, the Massachusetts legislature passed a law enabling cities and towns to appropriate money for public libraries. Newburyport’s first library of a public nature had been opened in May 1851 in a room over the Merchants’ National Bank at the corner of State and Charter Streets. It was known as the Merrimack Library Association. In October 1851, the library moved to the corner of State and Pleasant Streets, where it remained until 1854. In 1854, Josiah Little gave the City $5,000 to establish a permanent library under the control of the Mayor and Aldermen. On September 5, 1855, the library was opened in a room on the first floor of the northwesterly side of City Hall.

The library will embark on a long-awaited addition and rehabilitation project in the fall of 1999. The architects for the project are Finegold Alexander + Associates.