Sherborn Library

Sherborn, MA, 1971, James A.S. Walker, A.I.A.

The Sherborn Library is a modernist gem sitting on a small hill overlooking the Town Hall and police station creating a municipal complex along the town’s tree lined Main Street. The building blends the traditional New England one room library typology with modern flair, breaking the pitched roof end and running a skylight down the length of the ridge allowing for maximum lighting. The full height windows become negative space recessed between the contextual brick facade.

Inside, the southern yellow pine Glulam beams holding up the building also act as the defining finish. The result is a space which feels bright and exciting while also being warm and cozy. The atrium space which allows light from the skylight is bifurcated by a community room on the second floor creating a gateway between the entrance and the main reading space. Tucked behind the chimney for both floors’ fireplaces are stairs up to the mezzanine area. Here shelves line the walls, interspersed with study nooks. Up here, the community space again divides the mezzanine between public and private library spaces similarly to below. 

The recently completed renovation beautifully inverts the material palette of the original. The bright wood is brought to the exterior to complement the original brick facade and inside is a brighter, more open children’s space. 

Sources:

New England Architect and Builder Illustrated, September 1972.