AN IMAGINED Conversation with the Architect of the Bacon Free Library

Reporter for the Natick Citizen (1880): Thank you for talking with me. 

Robert G. Shaw, Architect for the Bacon Free Library: Thank you for asking.

Reporter: It is a delight to be standing in front of this lovely building.

Swaw: I'm glad it is finally finished and you like it.  

Reporter: Very much. Tell me how this came about.

Shaw: As you know, Mr. Bacon desired to make a gift to the town and to honor his wife, from all accounts, a wonderful, educated woman who loved to read.

Reporter: You have designed buildings in the Back Bay of Boston. Is this your first civic building?

Shaw: It is. I hope there will be others.

Reporter: How did you come to design this building?

Shaw: Do you mean, how was I chosen?

Reporter: Well . . . yes. 

Shaw: I hope it was my talent, but, as you may know, my wife is Isabella Hunnewell.

Reporter: Oh . . .

Shaw: Yes. The Hunnewell family is prominent in the area. 

Reporter: This is an unusual building for this part of Natick.

Shaw: I hope you don't find that unfortunate.

Reporter: Not at all. I believe the building is all stone and masonry.

Shaw: Other than the books, the structure should be entirely fireproof. 

Reporter: What inspired this particular design?

Shaw: As you mentioned, I have worked in the Back Bay, the location of Mr. Richardson's magnificent Trinity Church, in my opinion, one of the finest buildings in America. I don't mean to claim any similar talent as an architect, but the church is an inspiring building.  

Reporter: It certainly is, and Natick is fortunate to have a building with such a commendable lineage. Shall we walk inside?

Shaw: Certainly. Have you been inside the building?

Reporter: No, this will be the first time. 

Reporter: This is spectacular!

Shaw: How so?

Reporter: On the outside, the building seems somewhat dark and imposing; inside, it is all light.

Shaw: There are a lot of windows.

Reporter: Yes, but it is more than that.

Shaw: What did you do when you entered the building?

Reporter: I looked up to see where the light was coming from.  

Shaw: I'm glad to hear that; that was the intent. The space above, the cupola, provides extra storage for the library, but it is really designed to provide another source of light, light that is constantly shifting during the day, highlighting different parts of the building, but that also draws your attention upward.  

Reporter: It does, but why did you want that effect?

Shaw: If we return to Mr. Richardson's church, it is entirely different inside. There is a cupola, but it is much smaller in relation to the size of the building. The interior is much darker, in part to show the beauty of the remarkable stained-glass windows. The cruciform design, the length of the nave, and the curved back wall, punctuated by stained glass, all focus your attention on the altar. In our little library, all of the sections are the same size, and, as you mentioned, the focus is upward.    

Reporter: Why is that?

Shaw: A church and a library share many intents, but a church is a house of God; the purpose of the building is to strengthen that understanding. The purpose of a library is to house many views–to let people draw their own conclusions. The building doesn't have a single focus, and the shifting light from the cupola illuminates that fact.  

Reporter: Thank you for that explanation. I hope the message of the light is never diminished.  

Shaw: As do I.