George and John R. Hunt Memorial Building
Encyclopedia
The George and John R. Hunt Memorial Building, often referred to as just the Hunt Memorial Building, is the former Ellenville
, New York
, USA, public library
. It is located on Liberty Square, at the juncture of Liberty Place and Canal Street (NY 52
), just across from the village's post office, another Registered Historic Place
in Wawarsing.
It was built in 1917 as local headquarters for the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), with money from local benefactor John R. Hunt. His intention was that the building, a neoclassical
structure designed by Frank Estabrook of Newburgh
, serve as both rented private office space to provide the building with income, and a public community center.
Despite some decline in the condition of the building, it continued to serve as one of the three anchors of the village's downtown through the middle of the twentieth century, along with the post office and the since-burned Wayside Inn. To make ends meet, the WCTU had to rent out not only the office space but to go into the function hall
business, using the public space. When the public library moved to its current quarters in 1975, the building was left without a major tenant, though over the next 15 years there was occupancy by The Ellenville News (a weekly community newspaper, for two years), TreSource and Fiber Industries (sustainable wood and forestry products), and the Plush Factory (stuffed toys); structural problems such as leaky roofs and badly-built partitions accelerated its decay. Urban renewal
efforts in Ellenville and the decline of the regional economy made the neighborhood less vibrant.
The last major tenant, in the 1990s, was an appliance
retailer
. Howard Hellman, who had taken over ownership of the building, decided to donate it to the village in the hopes that it could find a buyer who could attract a mix of tenants and revitalize not only the building but downtown. These efforts proved as futile for the village as they had for Hellman.
Local preservationists
were interested in saving the building, however, and formed the Hunt Memorial Preservation Committee to raise funds and coordinate restoration efforts. The village has created a Historic Preservation Committee and taken other steps required by the state to coordinate rehabilitation efforts. Current plans call for a mix of public and private funds to be used to restore the masonry and repair the roof and windows. A stained glass
skylight that had become severely deteriorated has been repaired, but is being kept in storage for safekeeping until the main room ceiling is fully renovated. In 2005 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, as well as on the State of New York registry.
The ultimate intent is to restore the building to the point where it can serve its original purpose as a mixture of private and public space, providing a spur to the revival of downtown Ellenville. It remains in sporadic use, mostly as the venue for community events, such as the annual Run Like the Wind 10K race, the annual Blueberry/Huckleberry Festival, a summer series of concerts (Music in the Square), and art exhibits. After a local insurance
agency vacated an office in the rear of the building, the space was renovated for use by the Ellenville/Wawarsing Chamber of Commerce, which completed its move of its office from its previous site on Berme Road in early 2008.
Ellenville, New York
Ellenville is a village in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 4,135 at the 2010 census. The postal ZIP code is 12428. The telephone exchange is predominantly 647 and an overlaid 210 in the 845 area code.- Geography :...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA, public library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. It is located on Liberty Square, at the juncture of Liberty Place and Canal Street (NY 52
New York State Route 52
New York State Route 52 is a long state highway in the southeastern part of New York in the United States. It generally runs from west to east, beginning at the Pennsylvania state line in the Delaware River near Narrowsburg, crossing the Hudson River on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, and ending...
), just across from the village's post office, another Registered Historic Place
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...
in Wawarsing.
It was built in 1917 as local headquarters for the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), with money from local benefactor John R. Hunt. His intention was that the building, a neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
structure designed by Frank Estabrook of Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York
Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States, north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. Newburgh is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area, which includes all of Dutchess and Orange counties. The Newburgh area was...
, serve as both rented private office space to provide the building with income, and a public community center.
Despite some decline in the condition of the building, it continued to serve as one of the three anchors of the village's downtown through the middle of the twentieth century, along with the post office and the since-burned Wayside Inn. To make ends meet, the WCTU had to rent out not only the office space but to go into the function hall
Function hall
A function hall or banquet hall is a room or building for the purpose of hosting a party, banquet, reception, or other social event.Function halls are often found within pubs, clubs, hotels, or restaurants. Some are run by fraternal organizations and rented out as a fundraiser for the organization...
business, using the public space. When the public library moved to its current quarters in 1975, the building was left without a major tenant, though over the next 15 years there was occupancy by The Ellenville News (a weekly community newspaper, for two years), TreSource and Fiber Industries (sustainable wood and forestry products), and the Plush Factory (stuffed toys); structural problems such as leaky roofs and badly-built partitions accelerated its decay. Urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
efforts in Ellenville and the decline of the regional economy made the neighborhood less vibrant.
The last major tenant, in the 1990s, was an appliance
Major appliance
A major appliance, or domestic appliance, is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, or food preservation, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting...
retailer
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
. Howard Hellman, who had taken over ownership of the building, decided to donate it to the village in the hopes that it could find a buyer who could attract a mix of tenants and revitalize not only the building but downtown. These efforts proved as futile for the village as they had for Hellman.
Local preservationists
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
were interested in saving the building, however, and formed the Hunt Memorial Preservation Committee to raise funds and coordinate restoration efforts. The village has created a Historic Preservation Committee and taken other steps required by the state to coordinate rehabilitation efforts. Current plans call for a mix of public and private funds to be used to restore the masonry and repair the roof and windows. A stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
skylight that had become severely deteriorated has been repaired, but is being kept in storage for safekeeping until the main room ceiling is fully renovated. In 2005 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...
, as well as on the State of New York registry.
The ultimate intent is to restore the building to the point where it can serve its original purpose as a mixture of private and public space, providing a spur to the revival of downtown Ellenville. It remains in sporadic use, mostly as the venue for community events, such as the annual Run Like the Wind 10K race, the annual Blueberry/Huckleberry Festival, a summer series of concerts (Music in the Square), and art exhibits. After a local insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
agency vacated an office in the rear of the building, the space was renovated for use by the Ellenville/Wawarsing Chamber of Commerce, which completed its move of its office from its previous site on Berme Road in early 2008.