Library Tour Written by Karen MacDonald
Exterior and Lobby

Arriving in the front yard of the Provincetown Public Library on the corner of Commercial and Center Streets, one is greeted by the Tourists, a bronze sculpture donated in 1976 by noted artist Chaim Gross. The building itself is undergoing restoration on the decorative Italianate-style façade of what was once a Methodist church boasting a 162-foot spire. After the Portland Gale in 1898, 62 feet were removed. At its present height of 100 feet, the belfry is still one of the first landmarks glimpsed by mariners arriving in Provincetown Harbor. It houses the Holbrook Bell, cast in the 1830’s, which rings each day at the Library’s opening.

The building has had many lives. After its time as a church, it became the Chrysler Art Museum, then a Center for the Arts, and later, in 1976, the Provincetown Heritage Museum. In 2005, after completion of a five-year major renovation and reconstruction, it opened as the new home of the Provincetown Public Library. (Until that time, the library had been one block away at 330 Commercial Street).

Upon entering the Library one immediately sees one of the key elements which qualify it for the National Register of Historic Places; the matching wooden staircases which spiral from the front lobby to the second floor. The Suzy Fults Historic Lobby features an original mural by John Down showing a moonlit harbor scene.


Homage to Heritage Museum and Chaim Gross by Mary Spencer Nay
Courtesy Town of Provincetown. Photographed by Amy Heller

First Floor Great Room

The first object visitors notice when entering through the Commercial Street doors is the Lipton Cup. This magnificent trophy was awarded to Provincetown’s Captain Marion Perry by the legendary tea baron, Sir Thomas Lipton. The Grand Banks schooner Rose Dorothea won the Boston-Gloucester Fishermen’s Race in 1907. A half-scale model of this ship is exhibited on the Second Floor. Behind the Lipton Cup is a display case for artifacts from the Heritage Collection, and a kiosk where a film explaining the 66-foot replica may be viewed.

Provincetown Library’s collection of over 30,000 books, periodicals and audiovisual materials begins here. Incorporated into the design of the bookshelves are end panels made of the arm rests from the church pews that once seated the Methodist congregation. Many of the panels bear placards inscribed with the names of donors. Information on this and other naming opportunities is available at the Arthur F. Griffin Circulation Desk. A cartoon by one of our beloved patrons, the late Howie Schneider, is a wry comment on the unfinished state of the Library in 2004, with a huge crane in the yard doubling as a book depository. A hutch, decorated in the distinctive folk style of Peter Hunt, displays a variety of Library memorabilia for sale. Behind the Circulation Desk is a painting entitled Sailing by local artist Anne Packard. On many of the

Library’s walls, the Provincetown Art Commission displays recently restored work from the town’s collection of over three hundred paintings by artists with local roots. A Guide Book is available for those who would like to learn more about the artists whose work is exhibited.

Beyond the Circulation Desk is a door leading to a back yard which will be transformed into a quiet Reading Garden when the building construction is completed.

In the First Floor Reading Room, a charming quilt depicts scenes from the history of Provincetown in squares designed and crafted by members of the Nautilus Club for the country’s bicentennial in 1976. A nearby chart lists the names of the quilters.

The Bernadette Bernardi and Michael McGowan Center Street Lobby is where many visitors come seeking rest rooms but often venture in for a surprising and unique cultural experience.

Below the two paintings by Karl Knaths and Ada Gilmore on the Center Street side, several public computers are available for half-hour periods by reservation. In the corner new the elevator is a room with a public photocopier, community literature and income tax forms. Over the copier is a portrait of Nathan Freeman, the man who, in 1873 gave the town library its first home at the corner of Commercial and Freeman Streets.

Heading up to the second floor via the public stairway one notices a trio of large black-and-white pictures showing fishing schooners at sail. These were photographed during the legendary Boston-Gloucester Fishermen’s race in 1907.

Second Floor
Entering the Gerald and Henry Fowler-Bombardier Children’s Library and standing at the starboard side of the Rose Dorothea, we see a portrait of Francis “Flyer” Santos by Sal Del Deo. Captain Santos and others tell the story of the giant model’s construction which took place from 1977 to 1988 in the film Abraço o Barco, viewable at the kiosk on the first floor. To the left of Del Deo’s painting is the Young Adult area where four public computers for patrons under the age of 19 are located, and the Children’s Help Desk which also serves as a reference center.

Two comfortable chairs and three artworks inspired by Alice in Wonderland delineate the Parenting Area, where resources ranging from books about child development to educational videos to foreign language instruction courses can be found.

Rounding the stern of the Rose Dorothea to the Brian, Shea and Jona Bowen-Smith Arts and Crafts Center, children and their caregivers find an inviting area for structured and unstructured activities. Children’s services at PPL include the “Born to Read” program, a weekly story-and-play group for children ages 0-3, an annual Summer Reading Program and weekly story hours; ask at the Circulation Desk for details. Walking toward the bow of the ship, one notices nautical design touches inspired by the

Rose Dorothea, including port-hole windows and wave-shaped bookshelves.

A cozy Reading Corner commemorates Alice O’Grady Joseph, who directed the Provincetown Public Library from 1965-1982. When the card catalog became obsolete, the nostalgic cabinet was reused to file a large collection of recipes. Above it is a 1917 painting by Gerritt A. Beneker, called The Net Mender of Provincetown. Two upholstered chairs invite patrons to read, relax and remember how the Library was in Mrs. Joseph’s day.

The front spar of the Rose Dorothea extends cleverly into the glass-doored Bowsprit Room (which once served at the choir loft). Today, the room contains the latter part of the nonfiction collection including PPL’s large selection of travel books. When the Lower Level is finished, general nonfiction will be moved downstairs and this room will be devoted solely to Local History. Two patron worktables are provided, one donated by the Nautilus Club and the other “in honor of Nelson Hitchcock’s 50th birthday.”

Ascending the public stairway to the third floor on the Johnson Street side, we note the portrait of former library Trustee J. Arthur Lopes, painted by Henry Hensche, and William L'Engle's painting, Marya.




Mezzanine
The section of the mezzanine on the port side of the Rose Dorothea (the side with the red running light on the rigging) is the Daniel Petrucci Mezzanine Gallery, where Oppenheim’s painting of Harry Kemp (Poet of the Dunes) seems to gaze contently at the Carol Noyes & Rose Basile Poet’s Corner. In the future, when the Library’s Lower Level is finished, most of the nonfiction collection will be moved, creating more room for special literary resources. The best view in town is offered by the 15-foot tall windows of the Wesley Russell de Oliviera Arts & Literature Room. Sometimes whales can be seen in Provincetown Harbor. Library Trustee emeritus Arthur Pike has calculated that, on a clear day, one can see 15.5 miles. Three of the windows recognize dedicated patrons, the west window in honor of Barry J. Aaron and Stephen E. Smith, MD; the front window in honor of Roberta Lasley; and the east window in gratitude to Anne Packard.

Another impressive view from the Balcony is the 66 ½ foot model of the schooner Rose Dorothea. On her deck are two dories representing the twelve dories on the actual schooner; one can also see the authentic detailing on the handmade sails and rigging. Looking up, notice the two ovals cut out of the historic vaulted ceiling to accommodate the
masts of the ship.

View from the Library.
White-line woodcut by Sally Brophy/ Lyman-Eyer Gallery

On the Center Street side is the Hans Hoppenbrouwers Mezzanine Gallery and the elevator. Though not original to the building, the glass-block walls of the elevator let in natural light from the arched windows.

Lower Level The Lower Level is not yet open to the public. When finished, it will contain the library non-fiction collection, tables for quiet study and the Josephine C. Del Deo Heritage Archive, a climate and access controlled archive of the documents and photographs from the Heritage Museum collection.