Knowledge can be found in Somerville's Central Library, located at the eastern end of Central Hill, a cluster of civic buildings that includes the city's high school and City Hall. It is located at the northwest corner of Highland Avenue and Walnut Street, on a parcel that first contained the city's first fire station. Noted library architect Edward Lippincott Tilton designed the two story Renaissance Revival building, which was completed in 1914.[2] The yellow brick building is topped by a truncated hip roof made of green tile. The second story has nine bays of high round-arched windows. The building is trimmed with limestone and terra cotta panels, and its entry is sheltered by a columned porch topped by an elaborate terra cotta shield.[3]
The city's first library, also a Romanesque structure, was built on the west side of Central Hill, near City Hill, and was designed by George F. Loring. The present building was funded in part by a grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.[3]