VISIT THE SAWYER FREE LIBRARY

Photos by Leigh Chodos https://chodosinc.com

Welcome to Sawyer Free Library, Gloucester’s newest crown jewel of culture & community.

After a monumental two year renovation, expansion and modernization, the Sawyer Free Library has returned to its historic home at 2 Dale Avenue. This once-in-a-generation transformation marks a new chapter in our nearly 200-year legacy as a pillar of cultural and civic life in Gloucester. The result is a beautiful blend of historic architecture, modern design and vibrant, inclusive public space designed to support 21st-century learning, creativity, and community connection.

Designed by Oudens Ello Architecture and Dore + Whittier Architects and built by W.T. Rich Company, this stunning new public space seamlessly blends our original 1913 structure and 1976 addition with a striking new 14,000-square-foot expansion. The project was guided by extensive community input and completed on time and within budget.

The transformed Library offers an expansive array of amenities and technologies for Gloucester’s residents and visitors alike:

2nd Floor: A Wonderland for Young Learners

Spanning 9,500 square feet, the bright and spacious second floor is filled with high-quality, age-appropriate learning experiences overseen by expert staff.

Early Learning Center — Families love this safe, ample floor space for little ones surrounded with educational toys, puzzles and board books.
Children’s Program Room — Kids gather here for messy, project-based arts and science programs.
Children’s Room — Interactive playscapes, well-stocked book stacks, and a selection of fun games invite exploration and discovery in this awesome space with a ribbon of rainbow colors framing a line of arched windows and a high, curved ceiling up to a boxed skylight.
Teen Room and Creation Space – Featuring study tables, lounge seating and individual reading chairs surrounded by picture windows, teens like to hang out in this dedicated 1,500 sq. ft. room to meet with friends, do homework, and work on projects.

Main Floor: A Place for Everyone, Alone or Together

The revitalized main floor has been upgraded to be comfortable, welcoming and well-lit while retaining its familiar, traditional appearance. The variety of shared community spaces provide adults with opportunities to gather, be around others or enjoy time alone.

Conference and Study Rooms — To learn more about the 12-seat Conference Room and Study Rooms, see Book a Room.
Main Library—Ask our helpful staff for assistance with everything from simple card questions to complex research at the Main Service desk. Our public computer workstations, fiction books and DVDs are also in this grand room.
Matz Gallery–-Art lovers gravitate to this exhibition space to see contemporary works by local artists in a variety of styles and mediums. For information about the current show, see the Matz Gallery page.
Quiet Reading Room—People seek out this serene space for deep study and reflection, working at wide modular desks or sitting in contemporary wingback chairs overlooking the gardens. The non-fiction, large print and audiobook collections are also located here.
Reading Lounge — With generous sized armchairs, visitors come to unwind and enjoy the selection of newspapers and magazines in this elegant living room flooded with natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows.

Ground Floor: The Community Connection Hub

Entering from the parking lot, visitors step into the spacious School Street Atrium, which connects to three brand-new community destinations.

Local History Research Center–History buffs, scholars, genealogists and travelers are drawn here to research people, places and events over Gloucester’s 400+-year history.
Digital Learning Lab–Everyone from digital literacy beginners to seasoned entrepreneurs and hobbyists frequent the Lab to explore technology.
Community Room–Hosting up to 100 people, this room brings people together for local and visiting presentations, performances and meetings.

Main Staircase Murals: Cape Ann Quarries

A photographic mural by acclaimed local photographer, artist and historian Leslie Bartlett spans all three floors in the main staircase, paying homage the Cape Ann’s stark and striking granite quarries. The mural starts on the ground floor with a view of a darkly colored and textured rock wall with a pool at the base, ascends to a daylight view of a granite face with ferns growing diagonally along a crack of stone on the main floor, and then features a glimpse of tree tops and sky on the second floor. The mural gives the feeling of walking up through a quarry while going up the stairs.

Bartlett has trained his lens on Cape Ann’s quarries for nearly two decades. In 2015, Bartlett unveiled EKKLESIA, a monumental 9-by-30-foot installation drawn from a Rockport quarry wall. The installation has traveled to multiple venues across the region. Bartlett’s photography was featured in a major solo exhibition at the Cape Ann Museum from 2007 to 2008 that captured the haunting textures and human history of the region’s granite industry. His recent photographic research looks at the cultural and physical legacy of stone workers throughout New England and formed the foundation of his book, “BREAK Stone, Water, Heart: The Culture of Cape Ann Granite.

The Library’s transformation was made possible through generous public and private support, including over $10 million from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, $6 million from individual donors, $1.85 million from corporate donors, and $200,000 in local government and community partner grants. In addition, the Library Corporation contributed  $2 million to the project during the design phase from trust funds.

Learn more about the Library’s original home: the 1764 Saunders House.