In 1891, William Shute left a bequest to Everett of $10,000 to procure land and erect a library building in memory of his mother, Tabitha Shute. Mr. Shute’s will stipulate that the library should be located in the Glendale section of Everett on Broadway or upon land located on the northerly side of Broadway.

The land was purchased in 1895 from Edward W. Saunders, and the Shute Memorial Library stands on the location at 781 Broadway. William S. Lougee, a local resident was the architect, and the building which was designed in Richardson Romanesque style of red brick with sandstone trim was opened to the public in 1899.

In 1936, a Children’s Room was opened on the lower level and an addition was constructed on the south side of the building in the mid-1960s.

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The Frederick E. Parlin Memorial Library was erected as a memorial to the son of Albert Parlin, a local businessman who lost his son Frederick in 1890.

John Spofford was selected as the architect to design the new library. The building was constructed in Richardson Romanesque style and opened to the public on September 17, 1895. In 1911 plans were drawn up for an addition to the library, and again Mr. Parlin donated $6,000 towards the construction. John Spofford was once again the architect. Through the years, Mr. Parlin donated generously to the library. In 1924, he established the Frederick E. Parlin Memorial Fund. Over the years the interest from this fund has been used to purchase many items for the library. By the 1940s, the Library had outgrown the building, but it wasn’t until 1982 that a plan was set in motion to renovate the original building and to construct an addition. CBT/Childs, Bertman, Tseckares were chosen to draw up the architectural plans. The ground was finally broken in the spring of 1990. With the construction of the new addition, the building is almost three times its original size and handicapped-accessible.

The library has received awards for the skillful combination of a historic building with new construction from the Boston Society of Architects and was one of eight libraries to receive the 1993 Building Award of the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association.

When the new building opened in November 1991, it was completely automated and is a member of NOBLE, the North of Boston Library Exchange.

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