Haverstraw King's Daughters Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Haverstraw King's Daughters Public Library' s original home, also known as the Fowler Library Building, is located at Main and Allison streets in the village of Haverstraw
, New York, United States. It is a red brick building.
The library itself, established near the end of the 19th century, is the oldest chartered public library in Rockland County
. Shortly after its creation, it moved into the building, combining two contemporary revival architectural style
s, after money was raised by the local chapter of the King's Daughters, a women's civic organization. A similar wing was built in 1983, and in 1991 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
At the end of the 20th century the library moved into a new main building. The old building's interior was restored
in the mid-2000s and continues to serve as a branch.
at the corner, across from the post office
. A granite retaining wall, original to the site and thus considered a contributing resource
to the Register listing, runs along the south side. The lot slopes gently toward the Hudson River
a short distance to the east. The surrounding buildings are mostly residential.
water table, sandstone quoin
s and window trim, and limestone
brackets
on the overhanging eaves at the roofline. The roof is surfaced in asphalt and pierced by a brick chimney with corbel
ed cap at the center of the west face.
Below the cornice
is a limestone frieze
decorated with carvings of garlands
tied together in ropes and the letters "FOWLER LIBRARY BUILDING" on the south face. The fenestration includes large arched windows at both reading rooms, the adult room on the east side first story and the children's on the south side of the second story. Another arched window tops the arched main entrance on the corner. All have sandstone voussoir
s. The mullion
s of the reading room windows are Ionic
pilaster
s.
The north facade has similarly asymmetrical fenestration, with a projecting bay. On the west is a sympathetic wing built in 1983 in conformance with National Park Service
standards. It is also brick with a flat asphalt roof, and has a simple limestone cornice.
Two wrought iron
gates protect the main entrance. Behind them four bluestone steps, matching those at the street corner, lead up to the vestibule
and its tiled floor. The sidelighted oak doors lead into an interior vestibule with similar paneling. A bronze
dedication plaque
commemorates the library's opening on May 14, 1903, and lists the names of its principal donor and the society's board of directors at that time.
s and beveled
mirrors. The central stair has oak wainscoting, ash banisters, and newel
posts topped with carved urns. The flooring, moldings
and plaster walls are all original, as are the bookshelves and most other furniture.
On the west wall, the original brick and stone window trim is still visible from the new wing side. The original plaster remains on the other side. In the basement, the brick flooring set in dirt is believed to be that of a hotel building on the site before the library was constructed.
in 1854, and quickly grew due to a successful brick industry that tapped the large clay deposits along the river. In 1891 a group of wives of some of the community's wealthier businessmen organized the Haverstraw Ladies' Home Mission Circle. Originally a sewing circle meant to help the village's less fortunate, it soon saw a need for a wider scope. In 1894 a plan for a larger organization was drawn up, and the next year it formally incorporated as the King's Daughters Society.
That year the president of the society suggested the organization set up a public library
, a common charitable goal during the Gay Nineties
. The members agreed, and petitioned the New York State Board of Regents for a charter
. The request was approved, and Melvil Dewey
, then director of the New York State Library
, signed the charter, making the new library the oldest chartered public library in Rockland County
.
In 1896, the library opened in Jenkins Hall, to the west of the current building. Two years later, it moved to the National Bank Building at Main and Second streets. Soon the library became popular enough that it was apparent a building of its own was necessary. In 1899, local brickmaker Denton Fowler offered to donate $10,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) toward the purchase of land and the construction of a building to be named after him, as long as it was matched
.
Nothing happened for three years, as the society was unable to raise additional money. They decided on a smaller building, and two of the members were able to raise the money necessary. Construction began in October 1902, and the library opened seven months later.
William H. Parkton, a local architect who had designed many buildings in downtown Haverstraw, was chosen to design the library. He mixed Classical Revival
elements like the wide frieze, quoins and pilasters with Renaissance Revival
features like the round-arched windows, detailed cornice and rusticated
stonework.
In 1956 a fire badly damaged the upper floor. The building was repaired, but its entire collection was lost.
The area grew, and in 1978 the Thiells
branch was opened in a storefront on US 202
further inland to serve patrons in the other areas of the Town of Haverstraw
. That same year the state granted the library a new charter as a special library district, giving residents the right to vote on budgets and elect trustees to the board. The Thiells branch soon moved to the basement of Town Hall.
In 1983, a combination of state and federal funding helped the library expand the Fowler Building with the west wing. Named after Kay Freeman, the director of the library for 21 years, a condition of the federal contribution was that the wing be architecturally sympathetic with the existing building. The original building's exerior was also restored during construction, and a wheelchair ramp
added.
Three years later, the library began looking for land for new facilities, a process that would take it most of the next decade. During the time, the original building was listed on the Register and, in 1993, received an award from the county historical society for continuing use.
In 2001 the Town Board approved a subdivision on Rosman Road that would allow the library to build a new main branch at Garnerville
. Ground was broken later that year and it opened in 2003. Three years later, the library board closed the Fowler building to restore its interior. It reopened in 2007.
Haverstraw (village), New York
Haverstraw is a village in the town of Haverstraw in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Congers; southeast of West Haverstraw; east of Garnerville, New York; northeast of New City and west of the Hudson River at its widest point...
, New York, United States. It is a red brick building.
The library itself, established near the end of the 19th century, is the oldest chartered public library in Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
. Shortly after its creation, it moved into the building, combining two contemporary revival architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
s, after money was raised by the local chapter of the King's Daughters, a women's civic organization. A similar wing was built in 1983, and in 1991 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
At the end of the 20th century the library moved into a new main building. The old building's interior was restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
in the mid-2000s and continues to serve as a branch.
Building
The library is located on a small lotLot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
at the corner, across from the post office
U.S. Post Office (Haverstraw, New York)
The U.S. Post Office in Haverstraw, New York, is located on Main Street in the center of the village. It serves the ZIP Code 10927, which covers the village....
. A granite retaining wall, original to the site and thus considered a contributing resource
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Register listing, runs along the south side. The lot slopes gently toward the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
a short distance to the east. The surrounding buildings are mostly residential.
Exterior
Its main section is a two-story, rectangular structure with a rounded southeast corner, exposed basement and flat roof. The brick is set off by a variety of stone trim: a bluestoneBluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
water table, sandstone quoin
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
s and window trim, and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
on the overhanging eaves at the roofline. The roof is surfaced in asphalt and pierced by a brick chimney with corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
ed cap at the center of the west face.
Below the cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
is a limestone frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
decorated with carvings of garlands
Festoon
Festoon , a wreath or garland, and so in architecture a conventional arrangement of flowers, foliage or fruit bound together and suspended by ribbons, either from a decorated knot, or held in the mouths of lions, or suspended across the back of bulls heads as...
tied together in ropes and the letters "FOWLER LIBRARY BUILDING" on the south face. The fenestration includes large arched windows at both reading rooms, the adult room on the east side first story and the children's on the south side of the second story. Another arched window tops the arched main entrance on the corner. All have sandstone voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s. The mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s of the reading room windows are Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s.
The north facade has similarly asymmetrical fenestration, with a projecting bay. On the west is a sympathetic wing built in 1983 in conformance with National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
standards. It is also brick with a flat asphalt roof, and has a simple limestone cornice.
Two wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
gates protect the main entrance. Behind them four bluestone steps, matching those at the street corner, lead up to the vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
and its tiled floor. The sidelighted oak doors lead into an interior vestibule with similar paneling. A bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
dedication plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
commemorates the library's opening on May 14, 1903, and lists the names of its principal donor and the society's board of directors at that time.
Interior
The interior layout of both stories remains unchanged, as do many of the finishes. Both the adult rooms downstairs and the children's rooms upstairs have fireplaces with galzed brick, marbleized tile floors, carved mantelFireplace mantel
Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling...
s and beveled
Beveled glass
Beveled glass is usually made by taking thick glass and creating an angled surface cut around the entire periphery. Bevels act as prisms in the sunlight creating an interesting color diffraction which both highlights the glass work and provides a spectrum of colors which would ordinarily be absent...
mirrors. The central stair has oak wainscoting, ash banisters, and newel
Newel
A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but it can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase...
posts topped with carved urns. The flooring, moldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
and plaster walls are all original, as are the bookshelves and most other furniture.
On the west wall, the original brick and stone window trim is still visible from the new wing side. The original plaster remains on the other side. In the basement, the brick flooring set in dirt is believed to be that of a hotel building on the site before the library was constructed.
History
Haverstraw was incorporatedMunicipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
in 1854, and quickly grew due to a successful brick industry that tapped the large clay deposits along the river. In 1891 a group of wives of some of the community's wealthier businessmen organized the Haverstraw Ladies' Home Mission Circle. Originally a sewing circle meant to help the village's less fortunate, it soon saw a need for a wider scope. In 1894 a plan for a larger organization was drawn up, and the next year it formally incorporated as the King's Daughters Society.
That year the president of the society suggested the organization set up a public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
, a common charitable goal during the Gay Nineties
Gay Nineties
Gay Nineties is an American nostalgic term that refers to the decade of the 1890s. It is known in the UK as the Naughty Nineties, and refers there to the decade of supposedly decadent art by Aubrey Beardsley, the witty plays and trial of Oscar Wilde, society scandals and the beginning of the...
. The members agreed, and petitioned the New York State Board of Regents for a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
. The request was approved, and Melvil Dewey
Melvil Dewey
Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was an American librarian and educator, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification, and a founder of the Lake Placid Club....
, then director of the New York State Library
New York State Library
The New York State Library is part of the New York State Education Department. The Library and its sister institutions, the New York State Museum and New York State Archives, are housed in the Cultural Education Center...
, signed the charter, making the new library the oldest chartered public library in Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
.
In 1896, the library opened in Jenkins Hall, to the west of the current building. Two years later, it moved to the National Bank Building at Main and Second streets. Soon the library became popular enough that it was apparent a building of its own was necessary. In 1899, local brickmaker Denton Fowler offered to donate $10,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) toward the purchase of land and the construction of a building to be named after him, as long as it was matched
Matching funds
Matching funds, a term used to describe the requirement or condition that a generally minimal amount of money or services-in-kind originate from the beneficiaries of financial amounts, usually for a purpose of charitable or public good.-Charitable causes:...
.
Nothing happened for three years, as the society was unable to raise additional money. They decided on a smaller building, and two of the members were able to raise the money necessary. Construction began in October 1902, and the library opened seven months later.
William H. Parkton, a local architect who had designed many buildings in downtown Haverstraw, was chosen to design the library. He mixed Classical Revival
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
elements like the wide frieze, quoins and pilasters with Renaissance Revival
Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
features like the round-arched windows, detailed cornice and rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
stonework.
In 1956 a fire badly damaged the upper floor. The building was repaired, but its entire collection was lost.
The area grew, and in 1978 the Thiells
Thiells, New York
Thiells, formally known as Thiells Corner in the 1850s, is a hamlet in the Town of Haverstraw Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Mount Ivy; east of Pomona; south of Tomkins Cove and west of Garnerville...
branch was opened in a storefront on US 202
U.S. Route 202 in New York
U.S. Route 202 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from New Castle, Delaware, to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, US 202 extends from the New Jersey state line near Suffern to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster. While most of US 202 is signed...
further inland to serve patrons in the other areas of the Town of Haverstraw
Haverstraw (town), New York
Haverstraw is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the Town of Clarkstown and the Town of Ramapo; east of Orange County, New York; south of the Town of Stony Point and west of the Hudson River. The town runs from the west to the east border of the county in its...
. That same year the state granted the library a new charter as a special library district, giving residents the right to vote on budgets and elect trustees to the board. The Thiells branch soon moved to the basement of Town Hall.
In 1983, a combination of state and federal funding helped the library expand the Fowler Building with the west wing. Named after Kay Freeman, the director of the library for 21 years, a condition of the federal contribution was that the wing be architecturally sympathetic with the existing building. The original building's exerior was also restored during construction, and a wheelchair ramp
Wheelchair ramp
A wheelchair ramp is an inclined plane installed in addition to or instead of stairs. Ramps permit wheelchair users, as well as people pushing strollers, carts, or other wheeled objects, to more easily access a building....
added.
Three years later, the library began looking for land for new facilities, a process that would take it most of the next decade. During the time, the original building was listed on the Register and, in 1993, received an award from the county historical society for continuing use.
In 2001 the Town Board approved a subdivision on Rosman Road that would allow the library to build a new main branch at Garnerville
Garnerville, New York
Garnerville is a hamlet in the Town of Haverstraw Rockland County, New York, United States located north of New City; east ofMount Ivy; south of Stony Point and west of West Haverstraw...
. Ground was broken later that year and it opened in 2003. Three years later, the library board closed the Fowler building to restore its interior. It reopened in 2007.