Royalton Memorial Library

Last updated
Royalton Memorial Library
Royalton Memorial Library logo.png
Royalton Memorial Library.jpg
TypeMunicipal public library
Established1917
Location57 Safford St., South Royalton, Vermont
Coordinates 43°49′06″N72°31′11″W / 43.818301°N 72.519586°W / 43.818301; -72.519586 Coordinates: 43°49′06″N72°31′11″W / 43.818301°N 72.519586°W / 43.818301; -72.519586
Other information
DirectorTyler Strong [1]
Website www.royaltonlibrary.org
Map
Royalton Memorial Library
Built1919–24
ArchitectLouis Sheldon Newton
Architectural style(s) Colonial Revival
Designated1976
Part of South Royalton Historic District
Reference no. #76000200 [2]

The Royalton Memorial Library is a public library in South Royalton, Vermont. The library organization was founded in 1917; its building was built from 1919 to 1924 and was expanded in 2020.

Contents

Design

The building is located at the corner of Alexander Place and Safford Street, named for resident Truman Henry Safford. [3]

The building was designed for the Royalton Memorial Library Association in the Colonial Revival style by Louis Sheldon Newton, a locally-born architect. [3] It was originally a 1.5-story brick structure, with a tall cement basement. The exterior is decorated with cement quoins, and the roof is hipped, with three gabled dormers, on the northwest, northeast, and southeast sides. The southwest elevation has a pedimented gabled entrance portico. The doorway includes a door flanked by sidelights, all beneath a semi-elliptical arched fan light. [4]

The building's first floor has a welcoming feel to it, with a brick fireplace, armchairs, and a classically detailed archway into another space, formerly housing the children's area, and prior to that, the town historical society. The ground floor formerly held town offices, and became derelict and unusable, only housing surplus books, until the library's 2019 renovation. [3]

History

The Royalton Memorial Library Association was founded in 1917, led by Evelyn Lovejoy. She became the first woman elected to public office in the town of Royalton in 1912, when she was elected to the board of trustees of the now-defunct Royalton Free Public Library, in the village of Royalton. [3]

The current-day library broke ground in 1919, with the exterior nearly completed by 1921, when funds ran out. Lovejoy, a teacher at Royalton Academy, canvassed individuals and businesses for pledges for the building's construction, and donated the proceeds from her book, The History of Royalton, to the library construction fund. [3]

In 1976, the library building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, as a contributing part of the new South Royalton Historic District. [5]

In 2016, the library hosted a small exhibit about Louis Sheldon Nelson, architect of the building and other local landmarks, including the present-day look of the Old Constitution House. [6]

In 2017, the Royalton Memorial Library Association celebrated its 100th anniversary on the South Royalton Green. The event included a performance by the South Royalton Town Band as well as free cake. [3] Also in 2017, the library began to be overwhelmed by book donations, and the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration necessitated a renovation to make the building handicap-accessible, or it would force the building's closure. [3]

From April 2019 to February 2020, a two-story addition to the library was constructed. [7] Architect Jay White was commissioned, chosen for his desire to preserve historic details. [3] The project was approved in 2017 and cost $737,500, and created a 1,500 sq ft (140 m2) space for a children's room, maker space, meeting room, kitchenette, staff office, two bathrooms, an elevator, and a new entrance at ground-level, giving it ADA accessibility. [7] The reopening was held on February 15, 2020. [8] The expanded library was open for shortly over a month when the COVID-19 pandemic forced another temporary closure. [5] The Ensign Peak Foundation donated to the renovation, in an agreement for the library to install a plaque in the library's history room in memorial of Joseph Smith, who was born about four miles away. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

Royalton, Vermont Town in Vermont, United States

Royalton is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,750 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Royalton, South Royalton, and North Royalton. Vermont Law School, the state's only accredited law school, is located in South Royalton.

The Royalton raid was a British-led Indian raid in 1780 against various towns along the White River Valley in the Vermont Republic, and was part of the American Revolutionary War. It was the last major Indian raid in New England.

South Royalton, Vermont Census-designated place in Vermont, United States

South Royalton is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Royalton, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. With a population at the 2010 census of 694, South Royalton is the largest community in the town. It is home to the Vermont Law School. The central portion of the village is a historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the South Royalton Historic District. The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial is located approximately two miles to the east. South Royalton is the town pictured in the opening credits of the WB television show Gilmore Girls.

Palmer Memorial Hall United States historic place

Palmer Memorial Hall is a historic hall at 1029 Central Street in Palmer, Massachusetts. The Romanesque building was designed by New York City architect R. H. Robertson and constructed in 1890 as a memorial to the town's Civil War dead; it was also used as a meeting space by the local Grand Army of the Republic veterans society. The ground floor served as the town's public library until 1977. It has since served as Palmer's Senior Center. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Hilton (Catonsville, Maryland) Historic house in Maryland, United States

Hilton is a historic home located at The Community College of Baltimore County in Catonsville, Baltimore County, Maryland. It is an early-20th-century Georgian Revival–style mansion created from a stone farmhouse built about 1825, overlooking the Patapsco River valley. The reconstruction was designed by Baltimore architect Edward L. Palmer, Jr. in 1917. The main house is five bays in length, two and a half stories above a high ground floor, with a gambrel roof. The house has a 2+12-story wing, five bays in length, with a gabled roof, extending from the east end; and a two-story, one-bay west wing. The roof is covered with Vermont slate. The house features a small enclosed porch of the Tuscan order that was probably originally considered a porte cochere.

Bill Wilson House Historic building in Vermont, US

The Bill Wilson House is a historic 19th-century hotel at 378 Village Street in East Dorset, Vermont, United States. Built in 1852, it is the birthplace and living memorial of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson. With 14 guestrooms and a conference room the non-profit bed and breakfast is a center for recovery seminars and regular AA and ALANON meetings. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

South Tunbridge Methodist Episcopal Church Historic church in Vermont, United States

The South Tunbridge Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church on Vermont Route 110, about one-third of a mile north of the Royalton town line in Tunbridge, Vermont. Built in 1833, it is one of the finest examples of late Federal period architecture in Orange County, and was a mainstay of social and civic life in southern Tunbridge for many years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

St. Pauls Episcopal Church (Royalton, Vermont) Historic church in Vermont, United States

St. Paul's Episcopal Church is a historic church building at Bridge Street and Vermont Route 14 in Royalton, Vermont. Built in 1836, it is a prominent early example of Gothic Revival architecture in the state, and is one of the oldest surviving public buildings in Royalton's historic village center. Now deconsecrated and maintained by the Royalton Historical Society, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

United States Courthouse (Natchez) United States historic place

The United States Courthouse, previously known as Institute Hall, Opera Hall, and Memorial Hall, is a building in Natchez, Mississippi that was initially constructed from 1851 to 1853, for use as an educational building. It has served a variety of public purposes in the intervening years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. In 2007, it was rededicated as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

Charlestown Town Hall United States historic place

Charlestown Town Hall is the seat of municipal government of Charlestown, New Hampshire. It is located just off Main Street at 29 Summer Street. It was built in 1872-73, and is a design of Edward Dow, one of New Hampshire's leading architects of the period. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and is a contributing property to the Charlestown Main Street Historic District.

Round Schoolhouse United States historic place

The Round Schoolhouse is a historic school building on Grassy Brook Road in Brookline, Vermont. Built in 1822, it is the oldest brick schoolhouse in Windham County, and further distinctive for its round shape. From 1929 to 1989 it served as Brookline's town hall. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Abbott Memorial Library (Pomfret, Vermont) United States historic place

The Abbott Memorial Library is the public library serving the village of South Pomfret, Vermont. It is located at 15 Library Street, in an architecturally distinguished building constructed in 1905 through a bequest of the local Abbott family. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Joseph Fessenden House Historic house in Vermont, United States

The Joseph Fessenden House is a historic house at 58 Bridge Street in Royalton, Vermont. Built about 1802, it is a high quality local example of transitional Georgian-Federal architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Fox Stand Historic house in Vermont, United States

The Fox Stand is a historic multipurpose commercial and residential building at 5615 Vermont Route 14 in Royalton, Vermont. Built in 1814, it served as a tavern and traveler accommodation on the turnpike that ran along the north bank of the White River. It has been adaptively reused in a variety of configurations, most recently as a restaurant and dwelling for the restaurant's operator. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 as a particularly fine example of a Federal period tavern.

South Royalton Historic District Historic district in Vermont, United States

The South Royalton Historic District encompasses the central portion of the village of South Royalton, Vermont. Now the town of Royalton's principal commercial center, it developed in the second half of the 19th century around the depot of the Vermont Central Railroad. The district includes fine examples of Greek Revival and Victorian architecture, and is home to the Vermont Law School. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Salisbury Town Hall United States historic place

Salisbury Town Hall is a historic municipal building at Maple and Prospect streets in Salisbury, Vermont. Built in 1869, it is a fine local example of Greek Revival architecture, and has served the rural community in a variety of ways: as town hall, library, and as educational facility. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Ferrisburgh–Vergennes station Train station in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, US

Ferrisburgh–Vergennes station is an intermodal Amtrak and bus station in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, adjacent to the city of Vergennes. The facility opened in 2007 as a free park and ride lot operated by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans). Bus service is provided by Tri-Valley Transit and Vermont Translines. The historic station building serves passengers at the Amtrak platform located along the southwest corner of the facility. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 as the Vergennes Station House. Rail service began on July 29, 2022, when the Ethan Allen Express was extended from Rutland to Burlington.

South Royalton Railroad Station Historic building in Royalton, Vermont

The South Royalton Railroad Station is a former train station in the community of South Royalton, Vermont. The 1886 station building still stands, used as a local bank branch of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. It is a contributing property to the South Royalton Historic District, on the National Register of Historic Places.

Debevoise Hall Historic building in Royalton, Vermont

Debevoise Hall is the main academic building of the Vermont Law School, in South Royalton, Vermont. The Queen Anne-style structure was built in 1892 as Royalton's schoolhouse, and became the law school's first building in 1973. The building contributes to the South Royalton Historic District, on the National Register of Historic Places..

South Royalton Green Park in South Royalton, VT

The South Royalton Green is a historic public park in the center of South Royalton, Vermont.

References

  1. "Board & Staff".
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Library celebrating centennial fights to stay open". Associated Press . 19 June 2017.
  4. John P. Dumville (1976). "NRHP nomination for South Royalton Historic District". National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-08-22. with photographs from 1976
  5. 1 2 Sauchelli, Liz (January 30, 2022). "Supply chain, funding challenges complicate Upper Valley library renovations". Valley News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  6. "Art Notes: Exhibition Looks Back at Local Architect". 13 April 2016.
  7. 1 2 Corriveau, David (February 10, 2020). "Renovated Royalton Memorial Library almost ready to be checked out". Valley News. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  8. "South Royalton library reopens". 10 March 2020.
  9. "New plaque in Royalton Memorial Library honors the Prophet Joseph's contribution to Vermont history". 18 December 2020.