Morton Memorial Library (Pine Hill, New York)
Encyclopedia
Morton Memorial Library is located on Elm Street in Pine Hill
, New York, United States. It is a stone building in the Georgian Revival
architectural style
built at the beginning of the 20th century.
It was named after a summer resident of the area who became a philanthropist
later in his life. In 1997 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
NY 28
. The ground generally slopes westward toward the divide between the Delaware
and Hudson
watersheds at nearby Highmount. District School No. 14
, now the headquarters of the local historical society, is to the northwest. The Elm Street Stone Arch Bridge
is just south along the road. Both properties are also listed on the Register.
The building is a one-and-a-half-story rectangular structure on a stone foundation
, slightly exposed and faced in smooth limestone
. The main exterior walls are done with stone in a rusticated
ashlar
pattern. Smooth limestone is also used for the keyed lintels, sills, and quoin
s. At the roofline is a broad frieze
and denticulated cornice
around the entire building. The peaked roof is surfaced in red slate, pierced by a brick chimney and two gable
d dormer windows in the main block. On the east is a semicircular wing with a conical red slate roof.
Paired Ionic
columns support a classical
entablature
over the main entrance, centrally located on the north (front) facade
. Above it the roofline is enhanced with a balustrade. Three panel doors, with a rectangular light above, lead inside.
Inside, the main block is one main room with the stacks and circulation desk. A fireplace with ornate mantel
is on the wall between it and the reading room, in the east wing. An iron spiral stair leads to storage space in the attic, and a bronze dedication plaque
is on the west wall.
, changed his career from law to science. He eventually became a chemistry professor and secretary of the Franklin Institute
. In the 1870s he became the first president of Stevens Institute of Technology
in Hoboken, New Jersey
.
A decade later he purchased a cottage in Pine Hill and began spending summers in the Catskills
. He endowed a number of small local projects, primarily roads and bridges. In 1897 he bought a local building and established the community's first library, known at the time as the Birch Creek Club Library. Within a few years it had grown and he announced plans for a new building specifically to house the library.
He died in 1902, the year before it was finished. The library has had some changes to its interior layout since its construction, but generally remains a strong example of the Georgian Revival design in the Catskills region.
Pine Hill, New York
Pine Hill is a hamlet in the western part of the town of Shandaken in Ulster County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 308.- History :...
, New York, United States. It is a stone building in the Georgian Revival
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
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...
built at the beginning of the 20th century.
It was named after a summer resident of the area who became a philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
later in his life. In 1997 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...
.
Building
The library is on the west side of Elm Street, situated on a small rise above street level in a residential neighborhood a short distance south of state highwayState highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
NY 28
New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28 is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major routes, including Interstate 88 , U.S. Route 20 , and the...
. The ground generally slopes westward toward the divide between the Delaware
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
and Hudson
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...
watersheds at nearby Highmount. District School No. 14
District School No. 14
The former District School No. 14 building is located on Academy Street in Pine Hill, New York, United States. It is a concrete-sided frame building erected in the mid-1920s....
, now the headquarters of the local historical society, is to the northwest. The Elm Street Stone Arch Bridge
Elm Street Stone Arch Bridge
The Elm Street Stone Arch Bridge is located along that street in Pine Hill, New York, United States. It is a short bridge built over Alton Creek in the early 20th century using stonemasonry techniques and an arch bridge design that had been employed in the Catskills since the 18th century, one...
is just south along the road. Both properties are also listed on the Register.
The building is a one-and-a-half-story rectangular structure on a stone foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
, slightly exposed and faced in smooth 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....
. The main exterior walls are done with stone in a 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...
ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
pattern. Smooth limestone is also used for the keyed lintels, sills, and 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. At the roofline is a broad 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...
and denticulated 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...
around the entire building. The peaked roof is surfaced in red slate, pierced by a brick chimney and two gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d dormer windows in the main block. On the east is a semicircular wing with a conical red slate roof.
Paired 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...
columns support a classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
over the main entrance, centrally located on the north (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. Above it the roofline is enhanced with a balustrade. Three panel doors, with a rectangular light above, lead inside.
Inside, the main block is one main room with the stacks and circulation desk. A fireplace with ornate mantel
Fireplace 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...
is on the wall between it and the reading room, in the east wing. An iron spiral stair leads to storage space in the attic, and a bronze 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...
is on the west wall.
History
William Morton was a New York City native who, while studying at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, changed his career from law to science. He eventually became a chemistry professor and secretary of the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
. In the 1870s he became the first president of Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
in Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
.
A decade later he purchased a cottage in Pine Hill and began spending summers in the Catskills
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
. He endowed a number of small local projects, primarily roads and bridges. In 1897 he bought a local building and established the community's first library, known at the time as the Birch Creek Club Library. Within a few years it had grown and he announced plans for a new building specifically to house the library.
He died in 1902, the year before it was finished. The library has had some changes to its interior layout since its construction, but generally remains a strong example of the Georgian Revival design in the Catskills region.