West End Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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West End Library
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 15 School St., Farmington, Connecticut |
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| Area | 0.2 acres (0.081 ha) |
| Built | 1917 |
| Architect | Tilton, Edward Lippincott; Jones, Richard Fredrick |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000369 |
| Added to NRHP | April 25, 2000 |
The West End Library, now known as the Unionville Museum, is a special old building in Farmington, Connecticut. It used to be a library but is now a museum. This historic building is located at 15 School Street in the village of Unionville.
A famous architect named Edward Tilton from New York City designed the building. It was finished in 1917. Part of the money to build it came from a very generous person named Andrew Carnegie. The building has a beautiful Renaissance style look. Because of its history and design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the year 2000.
Contents
What Does the West End Library Look Like?
The old West End Library building is in the middle of Unionville village. You can find it on the south side of School Street. It's just west of Connecticut Route 177.
This building has one main floor. Its walls are made of brick, covered with a smooth finish called stucco. The roof is covered with pretty red tiles. The front of the building has seven sections. In the middle, there's a special entrance with a pointed roof.
The other sections have tall, rounded windows. Above these big windows, there are smaller, rectangular windows. These small windows are close to the roof and have cool diamond patterns.
The Library's Journey: From Books to Museum
The Unionville Library Association started in 1902. At first, their collection of books was in a small room. This room was in Farmington's town hall, which was close to where the library building is now.
The library quickly became very popular. More and more people used it, and the number of books grew fast. Everyone could see that they needed a bigger, more permanent home for the library.
How Andrew Carnegie Helped
In 1917, the current building was constructed. A large part of the money for it came from a grant of $8,500. This money was given by a very rich and generous person named Andrew Carnegie. He helped build many libraries across the country.
The building was designed by Edward Tilton. Its design was inspired by a famous library in Boston. It looks like a simpler, smaller version of the McKim Building at the Boston Public Library.
What Happened Next?
In the 1960s, the library services moved out of this building. For a while, the town used the building as a center for older adults. Then, in 1984, the building opened its doors again. This time, it became a museum.
See Also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford County, Connecticut
- List of Carnegie libraries in Connecticut
