Arlington has Seven 'Great' Places in Massachusetts

The Great Places in Massachusetts Commission recently released its list of 1,000 sites to see around Massachusetts, and seven are in Arlington.

Among Arlington's treasures: the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum, the Mystic Lakes, Robbins Farm Park, the Robbins Library, Spy Pond and the statue of Sam Wilson in Arlington Center.

In addition, the Minuteman Bikeway is on the list and, though it counted as belonging to Bedford, it runs through Arlington.

The initiative was approved by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2009. It is part of an initiative to entice tourists to travel off the beaten path and look at some of the lesser known historical sites in the state.

For months, a commission gathered by the initiative took suggestions from the public in compiling this list.

For the next seven weeks, each spot in Arlington will be highlighted with a short video.

This week is Robbins Library. 

In 1892 Maria C. Robbins gave money for the current library to be built in memory of her husband, Eli.

The building, which cost $150,000 to construct and could hold 60,000 volumes, was styled in an Italian Renaissance design and the front was modelled on the  Cancelleria Palace in Rome.

When the building was dedicated, the Trustees said it "is of a style which will command the admiration of future ages as it does that of all good judges today." The building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

When Robbins library was built, the population of Arlington was 5,600 and the library owned 12,000 volumes. Less than forty years later, in 1930 the population had increased to 36,000 and the library's collection to 40,000. The town therefore appropriated $90,000 to add a wing to house the children's room and a public meeting room.

In 1994, the library had significant renovations done from a combination of state and private funding and it now stands at 51,000 square feet, double the size of the original building.