Reed Memorial Library
Encyclopedia
Reed Memorial Library is located at the junction of US 6
and NY 52
in Carmel
, New York
, United States
. It is the oldest library
building in Putnam County
, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
It was built in 1914 by Arietta Crane Reed as a tribute to her late husband, William Belden Reed, an ardent supporter of the Literary Union of Carmel, which operates the library. It is a Tudorbethan
-style building of local stone with marble
accents, and much original period furnishing inside.
faced in rock quarried
around nearby Lake Gilead
. Its slate
roof has three gable
s; a flat-roofed section between the two in the rear curves to form a rounded rear elevation. The main entrance has double doors flanked by narrow windows in a rusticated surround with quoin
ed corners.
It opens into a small vestibule
of tile with marble trim. Behind it is an oval lobby paneled
in oak
. A colonnade
separates it from the reading rooms and stacks in the rounded rear section. The fireplace
in the main reading room has a mantel
carved in the shape of monk
s' heads; the one in the children's reading room is a more restrained, standard Gothic Revival style.
In 1911 that space was expanded, but the library's collection was growing fast enough that it needed its own space. Two members donated the land; Arietta Crane Reed donated the money for the building in memory of her late husband, an executive with the New York City construction company Miller-Reed.
The New York firm of Pryor & Gaylor was commissioned to design a building that could not only serve as a library but a community meeting place. The irregularly-shaped structure accomplished both goals. Reed's company did the structural work; a local firm handled the masonry
. Ground was broken in November 1913 and the building was opened and dedicated seven months later, at a total cost of $45,000 USD ($ 2008 USD)). It has remained intact, without any alterations, ever since.
era.
U.S. Route 6 in New York
U.S. Route 6 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Bishop, California, to Provincetown, Massachusetts. In New York, US 6 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Port Jervis to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster...
and 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...
in Carmel
Carmel Hamlet, New York
Carmel Hamlet is the seat of Putnam County, New York, United States. It is a hamlet located in the Town of Carmel. As of the 2000 census, the population was 5,650....
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the oldest 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...
building in Putnam County
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
, and 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...
in 1980.
It was built in 1914 by Arietta Crane Reed as a tribute to her late husband, William Belden Reed, an ardent supporter of the Literary Union of Carmel, which operates the library. It is a Tudorbethan
Tudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
-style building of local stone with marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
accents, and much original period furnishing inside.
Building
The library occupies a corner lot; it takes the form of a one-story trapezoidTrapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
faced in rock quarried
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
around nearby Lake Gilead
Lake Gilead
Lake Gilead is in the lower Hudson River basin. It is located in Carmel Hamlet, New York in Putnam County. It has a surface area of and a mean depth of . It is about deep at its greatest depth....
. Its slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof has three 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...
s; a flat-roofed section between the two in the rear curves to form a rounded rear elevation. The main entrance has double doors flanked by narrow windows in a rusticated surround with 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...
ed corners.
It opens into a small 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...
of tile with marble trim. Behind it is an oval lobby paneled
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
in oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
. A colonnade
Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
separates it from the reading rooms and stacks in the rounded rear section. The fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
in the main reading room has a mantel
Mantel
Mantel is a municipality in the district of Neustadt in Bavaria in Germany....
carved in the shape of monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s' heads; the one in the children's reading room is a more restrained, standard Gothic Revival style.
History
Carmel had had a library since 1868, when the Carmel Library Association was formed. Its 900 volumes were first in a member's home, then a local church. This made using it difficult, so in 1881 the Literary Union of Carmel was formed to take control. They housed the books first in homes and later on the second story of a local office building.In 1911 that space was expanded, but the library's collection was growing fast enough that it needed its own space. Two members donated the land; Arietta Crane Reed donated the money for the building in memory of her late husband, an executive with the New York City construction company Miller-Reed.
The New York firm of Pryor & Gaylor was commissioned to design a building that could not only serve as a library but a community meeting place. The irregularly-shaped structure accomplished both goals. Reed's company did the structural work; a local firm handled the masonry
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
. Ground was broken in November 1913 and the building was opened and dedicated seven months later, at a total cost of $45,000 USD ($ 2008 USD)). It has remained intact, without any alterations, ever since.
Aesthetics
The library is the only significant Tudorbethan building in the Carmel area. While there are some Gothic Revival touches on the interior like the mantel in the childrens' reading room, the bulk of the interior shows the strong influence of the related, contemporary Arts and Crafts style, which was upholding simpler Tudorbethan buildings as an alternative to the architectural flourishes and ornament of the later VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
era.
External links
- Reed Memorial Library website