Colburn School and the Proposed New Library

To answer questions about the Colburn School and the proposed new library, here is some basic information.


The Colburn School, built in 1874, is a contributing building to a historic district, the Colburn School district, one of two in Westwood that are recognized by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC).

The Colburn School is currently under the control of the Board of Selectmen. The building has been vacant since April 2005.

It is not possible to construct a new library on the site without moving the Colburn School.
In 2005, the Library was award a grant by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) for construction of a new library.

In 2007, the Board of Selectmen, the Library Trustees, and the Westwood Historical Commission (WHC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the MHC that allows the school to be moved in order to facilitate the construction of the proposed new main library.

The key parts of the MOA include mothballing the school(completed), creating a photographic record of the building (completed), finding a use for the school, keeping it within the historic district, and preserving as much of the historic character of the building as possible. There is no time limit on developing a use, nor does the MOA require that the Town find a municipal use for the school.

The MOA removes a potential obstacle to the Board of Library Trustees receiving $4 million in grants from the MBLC to construct the new library. The Town must vote to approve the library project by June 15, 2010 to receive the grant award.

Estimates for the rehabilitation of the Colburn School are $2+ million.

While there have been town discussions on the future of the Colburn, no consensus has been reached. Selling the school for business use is a possibility. No firm decision can be made until the new library project nears completion.

The Library Trustees purchased .6 acres of land from the owners of 646 High Street in 2006 to provide enough space for the new library and a relocated Colburn School. Prior to this a review of possible locations for the new library was undertaken; the current High Street site was deemed the most feasible.

The configuration of the recently purchased land provides a convenient spot to “store” the building during construction of the new library. Moving and related re-location costs for the Colburn School are currently estimated at $150,000. Part of this cost will be covered by the Library’s grant award.

Architectural plans for the new library include the option of locating the Colburn on the site of the current library. This plan has been endorsed by the Westwood Planning Board, and meets MHC’s current requirements.

A time-line for construction of the library set mid-2012 as the completion date.

The Board of Selectmen have said that they will review all options for the Colburn School contingent on approval of the new library project.