Cary Library
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.
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.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Aroostook County, Maine
- List of Carnegie libraries in Maine
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Cary Library". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-01-10.