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1759 floor plan
1759 Floor plan

This room was originally square like the other rooms when Major John Vassall built the house.

Expanded by Andrew Craigie in the 1790s, the library retains most of the changes made at that time.

Craigie's changes to the House reflect the Federal style. He added the Blue Entry behind the dining room to keep the house square, and also added the ell rooms.

There may originally have been a door from the back hall to the library across from the dining room door.

 1793 chaanges to floor plan
1793 Changes
West wall showing columns in library
West wall with columns

 This room was lengthened, and two fluted columns with Corinthian capitals supporting a heavy entablature were added in the middle of the long wall.

There is a frieze of geometric shapes on three walls.

This enlarged room was used as a ballroom and a banquet hall. 		Entablature and column detail Entablature and column detail
South wall of library with fireplace, 1900
South wall
1900 		The Italian marble fireplace mantel is carved with a bas-relief frieze of griffins, flaming urns, and a lion. It was brought to this house in 1847 from the old Kirk Boott house in Bowdoin Square, Boston.

The neoclassical design dates from 1804. 		mantle frieze detail
Mantle frieze detail
mantel frieze detail showing carved lion Carved lion
Library door to piazza
Library door to piazza (behind desk and chair) 		About 1880, the center window with window seat on the east wall was converted to a door. The door is visible at the left of the 1882 photograph of Edith and Annie Longfellow, some of their friends, and Edith's two oldest children.

The 1872 engraving below shows the original window seat at the right.

East piazza about 1882 showing Longfellow daughters and their friends East piazza about 1882 showing library door
Engraving of library 1872
Library
Engraving, 1872 		 
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