Hunt Memorial Building

About

The Hunt Memorial Building is a significant treasure sited on Library Hill in the heart of downtown Nashua. Available for private rental.

Story

In 1892 a $50,000 gift to the City of Nashua by Mrs. Mary A. Hunt and her daughter, Mary E. Hunt, was donated in memory of John M. Hunt, City Postmaster from 1820 to 1841. The gift was earmarked for a city library, appropriately named the Hunt Memorial Library.
Noted architect Ralph Adams Cram, born in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, and principal in the Cram Wentworth & Goodhue architectural firm, designed the building. The exquisite architectural accomplishments of Ralph Adams Cram can also be seen at prestigious institutions that include Phillips Exeter Academy, West Point Military Academy, the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City, and Sweet Briar College, Virginia.
The Hunt Building was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on June 28, 1971 for significance in the areas of architecture and urban planning.
The landmark served as the city's library for sixty-eight years, from 1903 to 1971. When a new library was built on Court Street, the School Department was given use of the vacated premises until 1991. Since that time, the Board of Trustees has endeavored to fulfill the wishes of the Hunt family's original gift, to provide a setting for the public to use and enjoy, while preserving and restoring an architectural masterpiece.
The Hunt Building remains a significant treasure sited on Library Hill in the heart of downtown Nashua, New Hampshire. It offers a unique venue for public events, private functions, corporate and community meetings. The building is available for rental and the Trustees continue to offer a variety of programs. Sunday afternoon concerts include performers from throughout New Hampshire and New England. Cultural and heritage events, recitals, lectures and exhibitions are generally free and open to the public. Informal talks such as "Growing up in Nashua" and "Heritage of a City" are two favorite series. During the holiday season, the Hunt becomes Santa's Castle, where hundreds of children are cheerfully received and entertained.
Bought by public subscription ninety years ago, the illuminated tower clock holds chimes that still gently mark the time of day. The main entrance is lit by a large black wrought-iron lantern, suspended and supported by chains, and adorned with miniature books. The interior continues the Gothic motif with dark oak paneling, high arched ceilings, and leaded windows. Glass floors in the former library stack room, a spiral staircase, and the heavy oak front doors, long-ago unhinged and converted into the vestibule, are only a few of its unique features.