Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, totally worn out and screaming,
"WOO HOO, what a ride!"

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home with Books. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
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 I live in a small town in a rural section of NY state. It's very beautiful here with hills and trees and changing seasons, although I'm not a big fan of snow anymore. One month of winter would be enough for me! I have been planning to post photos of my hometown library for a long time. I finally took my camera in this week and got some of the shots I wanted. It's very impressive and is a rare gem in our area. I need to get more of the interior to do it justice but I have some nice shots of the outside to give a glimpse of this beautiful building. It's really so much more impressive in person though. I think this will have to be a multi-part post to show the different sections.

Our library has the largest collection in the county. Started in 1935, the Georgian Colonial style building was opened in 1937 thanks to an endowment fund of a local family. The materials are a combination of New England Colonial Harvard Brick for the walls and Indiana limestone for the trim. The roof shingles are hand-made from clay. Some of the original flagstone terrace in the front was recently replaced due to problems caused by tree roots and the back terrace and extensive lawns have been modified over the years. A charming cupola adorns the roof over the front entrance. The interior has a beautiful foyer with hand-carved pillars and wood trim, a reading and reference room, children's and picture book rooms, meeting and exhibition rooms, local history room, a beautifully remodeled auditorium that seats 340 people - and I haven't even mentioned the top floor yet!

Since the large back terrace was restored a few years ago (after 40 years of being closed off) the library hosts more events. The local high school now holds their spring prom inside with access to the back.  Weddings and receptions are frequently held there as well and all kind of events take place in the auditorium and exhibition room. During the summer there is even music on the front lawn once a week when local talent performs with free concerts.

I'm sorry for such a long post and so many photos but it is such a special place for me and I wanted to share it. The building and the grounds are beautiful and provide many services to our community. Fortunately we have volunteers who provide additional help to keep this ship sailing smoothly. I use this library every week and now that my kids are older, I think I will volunteer more of my time to give back as well. Interior photos to be posted another day!

Our beautiful public library!
Front entrance with cupola above it
New front patio with various benches, flowers & lighting
View from front patio towards front yard & Main Street
One set of bench seating with landscaping in front yard
Back view of library with staircase and parking to left, basement staff parking on right. Stone railing surrounds terrace
Back entrance to auditorium
Back terrace with flower fountain and cafe seating
Corner bench seat on back terrace

24 comments:

  1. Oh wow! I could spend a lot of time at a library like that.

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  2. It is gorgeous! All the branch libraries in our county are the same and they have no personality.

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    1. The library on my college campus was like that. It makes such a difference to have a beautiful, cozy space!

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  3. That is absolutely beautiful! I would love to live near a library like that.

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    1. I didn't appreciate it as much when I was a kid. I enjoyed it but I didn't realize that not everyone had such a great library!

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  4. It is a gorgeous building - the one where I live is hideous, a real concrete monstrosity. My Snapshot is quite short this week, sad - about a spot where lepers were outcast http://goo.gl/TkmQ7

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    1. I would rather have a concrete monstrosity than no library at all, but how disappointing to have a place you can't enjoy as much!

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  5. Your town sounds and looks like a wonderful place. The library will be one of the places I will visit often.
    Very nice photos.

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  6. Replies
    1. Thank you! (Ha! Like I'm taking credit for it!) A lot of people work very hard to keep it that way. :)

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  7. What a lovely library! It looks more like a grand old country home...but that would make it even cozier to read in.

    Here's my Snapshot.

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    1. It feels like a grand old country home as well. It is very cozy, just wait until I show you all the inside!

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  8. what an absolutely gorgeous library! you'd find me on that back terrace bench just about any day! very fortunate your community is to have such :-D

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    1. There are more benches on the terrace, the front lawn and the front patio. The seating inside is so comfy and cozy, large arm chairs next to french doors and windows. It's wonderful!

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  9. I thought I had a nice town library (and I do) but yours is just beautiful. The lovely outdoor space and benches to sit on makes it so much more attractive than the usual suburban library with a parking lot right up to the door. It looks like it belongs on a college campus.

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  10. Besides how extremely gorgeous the buildings is, itself [so stately] -- I am thoroughly impressed with the CLEANLINESS of the grounds.
    Let no one ever say that the state of New York is a mess!

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    1. It is clean and the grass is always mowed, the flowers are always beautiful, the snow is always shoveled...they do an amazing job!

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  11. I am speechless. That library is GORGEOUS! *stares at pictures again* Lucky girl!

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  12. Wow, oh wow, oh wow!! What a gorgeous library!! Ours is nothing like that at all. Can't wait to see the inside. I love the doors and the terrace. The views are amazing. You must love going there.

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    1. I feel like I've posted too many photos but than not enough to show the true beauty of it. These are just the pieces but if you could see the whole thing together it really is special! I don't how many posts it will take for me to show the inside!!

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  13. This is gorgeous and such a history. I love that so many community events take place there. You are lucky to have to have it in your backyard!

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