Lithgow Public Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lithgow Public Library |
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| Country | United States |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1896 (expanded 1979, 2016) |
| Location | 45 Winthrop Street Augusta, Maine |
| Collection | |
| Size | 67,000 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 164,000 |
| Population served | 19,136 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $586,359 |
| Director | Elizabeth Pohl |
| Staff | 16 |
| Website | |
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Lithgow Library
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| Built | 1894–96 |
| Architect | Joseph Ladd Neal |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000170 |
| Added to NRHP | July 24, 1974 |
The Lithgow Public Library is a public library located in Augusta, Maine. It first opened its doors in 1896. Over the years, it has grown and been updated, with big expansions happening in 1979 and 2016. Today, the library is home to about 67,000 books and serves the community of Augusta.
The Library's Beginning
The Lithgow Public Library is named after Llewellyn Lithgow. He was a merchant from Augusta who left $20,000 in his will to the city. This money was meant to build a public library. The building cost more than that amount. An additional $9,000 gift came from Andrew Carnegie. Money was also raised by selling memberships to local people.
The first stone of the library was placed in 1894. The library officially opened its doors in February 1896. In 1974, the library was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historical building.
Cool Design and Art
The library's design is called Romanesque Renaissance. It is built from gray Norridgewock granite. The stone blocks are placed evenly around the windows and main entrance. An arched doorway welcomes visitors. Round decorations with the names of famous writers are on the outside walls.
Inside, the lobby and the original book room have beautiful oak pillars. There is also fancy woodwork. Large fireplaces face each other on the east and west walls. The stained glass windows are very special. They show old printing symbols from the 1400s and 1500s. They also show scenes from Augusta's history. The Reading Room still looks much like it did in the 1890s. It has frescoes (wall paintings) and shiny gold leaf decorations.
Making the Library Bigger and Better
An addition was built onto the original library building in 1979. As time passed, the library faced some challenges. Water started leaking into the walls between the old and new parts. The roof also needed to be replaced. There wasn't enough space for programs, especially for children. Sometimes, library staff had to turn kids away.
Also, people with disabilities could not easily access all parts of the library. The elevator was so old that parts for it were no longer made. In 2007, there was a plan to expand the library. It would have cost $8.9 million. The city would have borrowed $6.9 million. However, people voted against this plan, and it did not pass.
The Friends of Lithgow Library are a group that helps raise money for the library. They kept working to get funds for a new expansion. This new project was estimated to cost $8.1 million. It would be a team effort between the city of Augusta and the Friends group.
By 2014, the cost of the proposed expansion had grown to $11.7 million. This was due to rising costs since 2007. Library officials wanted a new vote in June 2014. The Friends group had already raised $2.7 million in private money. This was a big help, as they didn't have this much private funding for the 2007 vote.
The city manager announced that the city could pay for its part of the project. They could refinance an old loan. This would save enough money to cover the costs of a bigger library. These costs included more staff and higher utility bills.
The new vote happened on June 10, 2014. This time, the plan passed with many more votes in favor. The project was expected to start in spring 2015. It was thought to take one or two years to finish. The library needed a temporary home during construction. They found a good deal to lease a building called the Ballard Center.
The library closed on April 13, 2015, to move to the Ballard Center. It reopened there in mid-May. The library operated from the Ballard Center until August 2016. Then, it closed early to move back to its newly expanded home. During construction, the 1979 addition was taken down. This showed a large part of the original building that had been hidden for 36 years. The library also hired a company to clean and fix its beautiful stained glass windows. These windows had become dirty over nearly 120 years.
The library held a special ceremony to celebrate the completion of the expansion on August 13, 2016. It returned to its regular hours on August 15.
