Skene Memorial Library
Skene Memorial Library | |
 South elevation and west profile, 2008 | |
   | |
| Location | Fleischmanns, New York |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Kingston |
| Coordinates | 42°9′19″N 74°31′46″W / 42.15528°N 74.52944°W |
| Area | 0.9 acres (3,600 m2)[2] |
| Built | 1901[2] |
| Architect | H.G. and M.L. Emory; Kelly Crosby[2] |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Shingle Style |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000576[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 30, 2001 |
The Skene Memorial Library is located on Main Street in
It was built by the widow of prominent
Building
The library is on an 0.9-acre (3,600 m2)
Exterior
The building itself is an L-shaped one-story structure on a stone
At the center of the south (front)
Above the porch is an octagonal tower with round-arched windows in alternating facets above the roofline. Its top stage has
All windows are in pairs, with a diamond pattern in the upper pane. A similar pattern is in the
Interior
The double wood and glass doors at the main entrance lead into a small
Two piers separate the main reading room from a smaller one on the west. It was meant to be separated from the main room by partititions that could be pulled down from the piers, but these may not be operational. The west reading room's main feature is the large stone fireplace on the west wall, with a decorative stone arch in splayed stone and brick. It has a narrow wooden
East of the main reading room is a stage area. It is recessed behind a partition and reached by three sets of stairs. Both it and the west reading room have molded window and door treatments similar to the main reading room. They can also be found in the small reading room in the north wing. The other room there, the
History
In the late 19th century, the economy of the Catskills had shifted from forest-product industries to resorts, with the establishment of the state
The latter, a
In the 1890s, Annette Skene had been trying to get the community to organize a public library, offering to start it with a donation of 500 books from her own library. In 1896, after two years of her entreaties, a library association was formed. Two residents donated the present site in 1901. Initially, funding for a library building came from subscription fees paid by Fleischmanns residents. Mrs. Skene also wrote to Andrew Carnegie, who was offering to finance what came to be called Carnegie libraries in English-speaking countries at the time, in gratitude for the role libraries had played in his life. He contributed $5,000 ($183,000 in contemporary dollars[4]) on the usual condition that the community building the library pledge a tenth of that amount annually for maintenance and support. Fleischmanns was able to raise double that amount, and began the collection with 875 books, including Mrs. Skene's original donation. The builder, Crosby Kelly, was another local resident and subscriber.[2]
The library was opened late in 1901, named in memory of Alexander Skene, who had died the previous year. At that time, Carnegie funded libraries without any review of the plans for the proposed building, and New York architects Henry and Marshall Emery, summer residents who had also been among the subscribers, had a free hand. Most of their work is in the Rockland County village of Nyack, where Henry Emery moved the practice after his brother's death in 1921, and Albany and New York City.[2]
The Skene library is not as high in style as the Emerys' other known work and seems to have been designed more to blend in with other local architecture. It combines the
Marshall Emery and Annette Skene married, and continued to support the library for several years, donating a heater in 1905. The year before, the association's minutes reflect a donation of $130 from the local Ladies Aid Society to hold a
In 1928 it was deeded to the village for use as a municipal building. It continues in both roles today. There have been no significant changes associated with this use other than the remodeling of one of the rear rooms to serve as the clerk's office.[2]
See also
- List of Carnegie libraries in New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Delaware County, New York
References
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Kathleen LaFrank (January 2001). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Skene Memorial Library". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-02-06. See also: "Accompanying four photos".
- ^ "Collections". Skene Memorial Library. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
