Camden Public Library

Constructed in 1928, The Camden Public Library is the only library in the village of Camden, Maine. It sits at the highest point on Main Street. Architects Parker Morse Hooper and Charles Greely Loring chose to position their building close to the street, under the shade of existing elms and maples.

The grounds of the Camden Public Library create a distinct series of landscape experiences, the centerpiece of which is a public outdoor garden amphitheatre, which was designed by the renowned landscape architect Fletcher Steele. It was designed and constructed between 1928 and 1931, and funded by local patron of the arts, Mary Louise Curtis Bok. 

Across Atlantic Avenue, the two-acre Harbor Park, designed by the Olmsted Brothers between 1928 and 1931, continues and extends the views from the Amphitheatre toward the harbor and its busy waterfront. This park retains its own, aesthetically distinct design vocabulary, and remains a separate yet intimately connected, companion to the Amphitheatre. The park was designed in concert with the Amphitheatre, though its naturalistic design and informal planting program contrast significantly with the structured design of the Amphitheatre.