HOULTON, Maine — Exterior renovations to the Cary Memorial Library are now complete, bringing the present and past together.
While searching for grants to help the library with the costs, the project blossomed from a simple doorway repair to a complete makeover for the historic building, according to Librarian Linda Faucher. Renovations included replacing windows, doing some stonework and adding the slate roof, making the new section appear to match the original 1904 Carnegie building.
“It started because we needed to replace our handicapped accessible doors in the front lobby,” Faucher said. “They could no longer be adjusted and one slammed shut and was completely rusted out at the bottom of the framing.”
Cary Library’s original building, which is the smaller two-story granite structure that now houses the children’s library, opened in 1904. The library’s main building was built and unveiled in 1969, with a modern look for that time period.
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- This before shot shows what the main entrance to the Cary Memorial Library looked like prior to the recent renovation project. (Courtesy/Linda Faucher)
Faucher said the goal with the renovation was to make the two buildings look a little more similar.
The project received financial support from several local businesses, including Peter Chase of Buildings Etc. for the slate shingles and Patrick Crowley of PDQ Door for the installation labor on the entry doors.
Also, providing financial assistance on the project were the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, the town of Houlton, the Aaron A. and Maria H. Putnam Family Charitable Trust and an anonymous donor, Faucher said.
“We recently received a grant from the Belvedere Historic Preservation Grant to continue repairs to the original building,” Faucher said. “As you can see the library trustees take the care of the library entrusted to them very seriously.”
