2025 Sawyer Free Library – Building Updates
After officially breaking ground last September, the Sawyer Free Library is excited to announce that it is halfway through construction of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library. With construction well underway, we wanted to give the community a glimpse into the exciting developments. The historic project is currently on time and budget, with fundraising efforts keeping pace.
Public enthusiasm for the project is abundantly clear from the hundreds of people of all ages who came out to express their appreciation for our new library by signing its cornerstone beam in February. Now permanently installed in the building’s new addition, the beam with its signatures signifies ownership of the library by the entire community.
The move back to our historic home at 2 Dale Ave is now underway.
Key Achievements
On the exterior, the brickwork on the new addition is 95% complete and the scaffolding has been removed. The installation of the windows is in progress and the parking lot is soon to be paved. On the interior, framing and rough-in of building systems is reaching completion such that room layouts are now visible.
Visionary Design
The project integrates three distinct structures with complete interior renovations of the library’s existing 1976 and 1913 buildings and an expansion of the footprint with a new 14,000 sq. ft. addition. The architecture seamlessly blends the old and the new, creating a structure that harmoniously combines traditional elements with modern ones. The new library retains the original façade of the existing building and reconfigures the interior with welcoming and comfortable community spaces designed to cultivate connections, power imaginations and inspire learning.
The visionary design was created collaboratively by Oudens Ello Architecture, Dore + Whittier Architects, Construction Manager W.T. Rich, and Library project leaders, with vital input from the residents of Gloucester. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library is being constructed by W.T. Rich Company of Beverly, MA.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library’s advanced sustainability features are a powerful demonstration and a leading example for public buildings on Cape Ann and the North Shore. Along with our collections, programming and exhibits, the new building and grounds provide ongoing education for people of all ages about the impacts of climate change and solutions for preserving our planet.
Second Floor
Early Learning Center, Children’s Room & Teen Space
The 9,500 sq. ft. 2nd Floor is a safe, out-of-school time learning space that ensures every Gloucester child has age-appropriate, high-quality, literacy-rich learning experiences, resources, technology and staff assistance throughout their formative years.
The Children’s Room has doubled in size and is a bright and spacious room with rainbow colors framing a line of arched windows and a high ceiling curving up to a boxed skylight. Anchored by children’s library staff, the Children’s Room presents a ribbon of reading materials arranged by graduated levels to encourage kids to progress from learning to read to reading to learn and discover new interests. The center of the room will be an ever-changing kidscape for interactive play and beloved storytimes.
The Early Learning Center within the Children’s Room has ample floor space and pint-sized, nature inspired furnishings for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their caregivers to explore boardbooks, puzzles, games, and coloring supplies. Two AWE Platinum stations introduce little ones to their first computer with bi-lingual learning software that builds early literacy skills.
The Children’s Program Room is a 30-seat classroom-style space with sinks and supplies for elementary and middle school children to participate in hands-on, project-based arts and science activities. Projects and artwork created in this space will be displayed on this floor for families and friends to see.
The 1,500 sq. ft. Teen Space is the only dedicated indoor public space for teens and tweens in the community. Featuring study tables, lounge seating and individual reading chairs surrounded by picture windows and separated by bookshelves stocked with materials geared to the interests of this age group, the space is designed for meeting friends, doing homework and hanging out. A Teen Creation Space (165 sq ft) within the room has a collaborative computing workstation that encourages creativity, builds skills, and inspires youth innovations.
First Floor
Main Library, Matz Gallery, Readying Lounge & Conference Room
The revitalized first floor Main Library has been upgraded to be comfortable, welcoming and well-lit while retaining its familiarity and traditional appearance. The variety of shared community spaces provide adults with new opportunities for gathering, being around others or enjoying time alone. Their resources enrich people’s lives every day and empower them to face an ever-changing future.
An expanded Matz Gallery with 65 linear feet of wall space showcases artwork of local artists in rotating exhibits year-round. The cafe tables and chairs lining a large plate glass wall overlooking the Dale Avenue Porch provide a contemplative view of City Hall and the Civic Plaza.
The Main Library Service Desk serves thousands of adults each month with interactions that span simple questions about cardholder accounts to complex research for information and advice from Library staff. Two great rooms on this floor hold the library’s treasured physical collections and provide furnishings for reading, research and studying. The Main Library has ample fiction books, audiobooks and DVDs for browsing, as well as public computer workstations. The non-fiction book collection is in the adjacent Quiet Reading Room, along with a pod of wide modular desks and four modern wingback armchairs overlooking the gardens from a large bay window. This space services those seeking a place for study and reflection.
The Reading Lounge’s dramatic double height, floor to ceiling arched windows amplify the sense of an elegant living room flooded by natural light. The generous armchairs make this a comfortable lounge for browsing magazines and reading newspapers.
The 12-seat Conference Room with video conference equipment hosts small groups, project teams, and community meetings. Two small Study Rooms are enclosed quiet spaces for individuals and pairs to concentrate, as well as engage in personal online meetings.
Ground Floor
Community Room, History Center, Digital Learning Lab
The entry into the ground floor of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library from the parking lot opens into the School Street Atrium, a spacious lobby connecting three new community destinations: the Community Room, the Digital Learning Lab and the Local History Research Center.
The new and accessible Community Room amplifies opportunities for bringing people together for cultural connectedness, civic participation and social engagement. Equipped with moveable seating for 100 people, a complete audio-visual presentation system, and a kitchenette, this room will be a magnet for hosting local and visiting presentations, performances, and meetings.
The Library’s new Local History Center is a researcher’s haven with books, manuscripts and maps chronicling Gloucester’s rich 400+ history. The centerpiece of the room is a large, 85” interactive display featuring the Gloucester Timeline and 400 Stories Project, an online research tool with over 1,500 entries of key events and people that have made Gloucester what it is today.
The library’s new Digital Learning Lab is a safe space for everyone from digital literacy beginners to seasoned entrepreneurs and hobbyists to discover and explore technology. The group classroom setup, as well as collaborative workstations, digital media creation stations, a digitization station, and two audio recording studios provide all the needed equipment and software for staff supported or independent learning.
Outside
Fountain Plaza, Parking, Dale Ave. Porch
The Fountain Plaza welcomes visitors to the 2025 Sawyer Free Library from Dale Avenue. The Fountain Plaza improves accessibility and safety with a well-lit accessible pathway up to the front porch and direct lines of sight from the entrance vestibule to the Main Library staff service desk. The Fountain Plaza fosters a sense of inclusion and community, as well as connectedness to the Civic Plaza in front of City Hall.
The Dale Avenue Porch is a newly covered area overlooking the historic “Sea Harvest” fountain created by Gloucester native and Sawyer Medal winner Aristides Demetrios. The fountain and the amphitheater serve as two unique placemaking elements of the library’s identity.
Just outside the Library’s School Street entrance in the parking lot, two EV Level 2 charging stations and a hub for bikes and e-bikes will be available.
This historic project to rebuild the Sawyer Free Library is a once-in-a-lifetime investment in a vital community institution that will have a transformational impact in downtown Gloucester for decades to come. Foremost, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library will expand the extraordinary public service delivered by our staff everyday such that more residents and visitors benefit from quality educational, civic and cultural services and programs that are relevant and accessible to our increasingly diverse population.
In short, as we have for the last 168 years, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library will serve as our community’s beacon on the sea where connections flourish, creativity soars, and knowledge fuels an empowered future for all.
We champion open and equal access to information and opportunities. We protect the rights of individuals to pursue interests, knowledge and ideas through a spectrum of viewpoints.
We build community by fostering belonging. We connect people with our community’s storied past, enrich their present lives, and empower them to face an ever-changing future.
We are future focused. We anticipate emerging practices and evolving technology in library and information science, prepare our staff and community for changes in our environments, and provide safe spaces and supportive assistance for learning.
We are for everyone.
