In 1903, The Brunswick Public Library Association received a gift from William J. Curtis of $15,000 and a plot of land on Pleasant Street in Brunswick, Maine to build a new library. Construction began in August 1903, and was completed in December 1904. The new building was named after and dedicated to Curtis’s father, John Curtis, a ship captain who sailed around the world from Brunswick. 

Over the years, the population of Brunswick grew, and the library, which had been built to serve a population of 7,000, was now serving one of 18,000. A $500,000 bond was taken out to expand the building in April 1971, and the expanded library opened on November 12, 1973. 

The library was expanded again in 1997. A new building was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Amsler, Woodhouse and MacLean. The 44,000 square foot facility cost $6.2 million, and opened in October 1999. It was funded by a combination of public and private finds, with $2.2 million raised by the library itself. The original building is currently used as a quiet study area. According to the library’s website, the new facility receives over 1,000 visitors daily.