Occupying a prominent location in Hunnewell Park near the town's central business district, this Romanesque stone building was designed by Shaw & Hunnewell and built between 1881 and 1886.

The east end of the building, which was finished first, was opened as the public library in 1883, the initial collection of which was also funded by Hunnewell.

The building is a striking example of the then-fashionable Richardsonian Romanesque, although it also exhibits French Chateau features seen by the architects during travels in Europe.

[2] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

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