Barron Library

The Barron Library is a historic building located at 582 Rahway Avenue in Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Formerly a public library, it is now the Barron Arts Center. The building was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1976. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 11, 1977, for its significance in architecture and education.

History and description

Thomas Barron (1790–1875) funded the construction of the building in his will. It would become the first free public library in Middlesex County. The brownstone building was designed by architect J. Cleaveland Cady in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and features a three-story clock tower. The fireplace in the Reading Room is bordered with blue and white Delft tiles, each depicting a biblical scene. The library was dedicated on September 11, 1877. In 1967, it became part of the Woodbridge Township Library System. In 1977, the building became the arts center for Woodbridge Township.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, New Jersey
• List of museums in New Jersey

References

External links

• Media related to Barron Library at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NJ-861, "Barron Library, Rahway Avenue & Port Reading Avenue, Woodbridge, Middlesex County, NJ", 7 photos, 1 photo caption page
• "Barron Arts Center; Barron Library". The Historical Marker Database.