Hannah Patterson wanted Westfield to have a library of “great beauty and excellence.” Over a century later, her vision lives on.
When you walk up the front steps, you can immediately see the details in the columns and the ceiling above the front door. Built in 1908, Patterson Library was designed by E.E. Jarolemon in the Academic Revival style, modeled after the Erechtheum in Athens.
As you continue into the building, you will see that the grand, tall columns and intricate detail are not limited to the outside. Eight magnificent Corinthian columns surround the original circulation desk. When look up, you will not only see the great detail of the columns, but the breathtaking central dome that illuminates the main room with natural light.
Adjacent to the main circulation desk are our Reading and Reference Rooms. In the Reading Room, you’ll find comfortable furniture, periodicals and newspapers and many of our adult programs, which include concerts, movie nights, author talks, speakers and more. The Reference Room hosts our AV materials and our public use computers. Both rooms also hold a bit of history, hosting sections of our special collections of paintings, statues, birds, shells and more. Our special collections are sprawled throughout the library. Archives, Fiction and our Biographies are located on the Mezzanine level.
There is more library to be explored below. In the basement level of the library is the Octagon Art Gallery and the Children’s Library. More information can be obtained about the Art Gallery and Children’s Library by clicking the links provided.