Thayer Memorial Library Lancaster, MA
Thayer Memorial Library is one of a handful of historic structures clustered around Lancaster’s town green. The library, situated between the celebrated First Church of Christ and the Prescott Town Offices, dates to 1868. Fashionably designed in the then-pervasive Classical Revival style, the building is primarily constructed with redbrick and has a brownstone temple front pinned to the façade. To either side are two transept wings, one added during the 1920s and the other added more recently, around 2000.
The firm was performed a conditions assessment for the building in Fall 2019. The study, initially intended for inclusion in a grant application to the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF), has instead informed the library trustees’ fundraising campaign as the Covid-19 pandemic put a significant hold on the town’s cash flow. The first phase, historic wood window restoration, is slated to begin by 2022. Meanwhile, the restoration of a single wood window intends to generate support and provide a detailed estimate as to the overall cost of the first phase. The firm also assisted the library in applying for grant funds from MPPF and the Town of Lancaster’s Community Preservation Committee in support of future phases, which are to include slate roof replacement and selective repointing.