Architecture and history
The Jacob Sears Memorial Library is set on the south side of Center Street in the village of East Dennis, just north of Massachusetts Route 6A. It is a rectangular single-story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof and a stone foundation. The ridge line of the roof is T-shaped, with the section at the right end perpendicular to the street. This section extends to shelter the main entrance, flaring out form a portico supported by square posts and large brackets. Just to the right of the entrance is a turreted polygonal projection. Wall dormers line the front facade to the left of the entrance. The interior is divided into the primary library space at the western end, a large meeting space in the center, with backstage spaces at the far eastern end.[2]
The first library services were provided in East Dennis by a private lending association founded in 1866. Jacob Sears, a lifelong resident of East Dennis, gave funding for the construction and endowment of this library building, which was completed in 1895 to a design by the Boston firm of Rand & Taylor. The meeting hall has been used for a wide variety of civic and social functions. The building underwent a major restoration in 2005-06.[2]
