Cary Library
United States historic place
Cary Library
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The Cary Library in a 1920 postcard
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Location | 107 Main Street, Houlton, Maine |
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Coordinates | 46°07′31″N 67°50′15″W / 46.12541°N 67.83747°W / 46.12541; -67.83747 |
Area | less than one acre |
Architect | John Calvin Stevens |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 87000929 [1] |
Added to NRHP | June 25, 1987 |
The Cary Library is the public library of Houlton, Maine , USA. It is located at 107 Main Street, in an architecturally distinguished building designed by John Calvin Stevens . The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. [1] The library opened on October 12, 1904. [2]
Architecture and history
Houlton's first attempts to establish a library began in 1850 with a private collection. After two such efforts failed, a third effort begun in 1896 succeeded. This effort was significantly aided by a major bequest from the estate of Dr. George Cary, a local medical doctor and onetime state legislator. This bequest was further augmented with funding from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie , who gave $10,000 to the campaign. Prominent Portland architect John Calvin Stevens was commissioned to the design the building, which was completed in 1904. [3]
The building designed by Stevens bears a significant resemblance to a recently completed earlier commission, the Rumford Public Library . It is a 1-1/2 story T-shaped structure, built out of coursed ashlar granite. It has a steeply pitched side gable slate roof, with chimneys at each end. The main (north-facing) facade is three bays wide, with a projecting central bay topped by a gable. The outer bays each have a bank of three sash windows, with granite sills and lintels. The projecting center section shelters the main entrance, which is recessed behind an arched opening, above which is a stone placard naming the building and a small sash window in the gable. The building's cornices are detailed with dentil stonework. A major expansion to the rear in 1968 gave the building its present T shape. The interior was originally laid out with a central circulation desk, flanked on either side by reading rooms, with the stack area in the projecting section to the rear. The original desk has since been removed. [3]
See also
References
- 1 2 "National Register Information System" . National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . July 9, 2010.
- ↑ Bulletin of the Maine State Library . Maine Library Commission. 1912. p. 13.
- 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Cary Library" . National Park Service . Retrieved 2015-01-10 .
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