An enhanced and accessible Carnegie library, restored with respect for the building’s rich history, has been re-opened here.
After renovations lasting almost a year, Wellington County and its library board officially re-opened the Palmerston library on March 11.
“The County of Wellington is pleased to return the Palmerston library to the community,” stated Warden George Bridge.
“We do so [having restored]some of the character that had been lost to this building over the years. I want to thank the residents for their input and the hard work of our staff and architect in ensuring the Palmerston library will serve as a community gathering place for many years to come.”
A press release from the county states community engagement resulted in a mandate to create barrier-free accessibility throughout the building and in particular, to provide an elevator accessing all levels.
“While the renovations return some of the building’s character, they also provide a diverse range of new uses,” states the release.
The new design includes a refurbished main floor that continues to house the children’s collection, popular non-fiction and media collections, and public computers. It also contains a new lounge space overlooking the adjacent cenotaph area.
Library service areas include a meeting room and “Inspiration Lab” on the lower level, where the once bricked-in windows have been reinstated.
The top floor is the new home for the adult collection and dedicated lounge area for young adults. Also included on the top floor is a large study area with a fireplace.
“This is another wonderful example of what can happen when the community and the county come together in collaboration,” stated county councillor Rob Black, chair of the county library board and information, heritage and seniors committee.
“Not only have we preserved the great sentimental significance this building holds for the community, we’ve revitalized and modernized the library to ensure it meets the needs of future generations.”
At the opening ceremony last Friday Black said, “This library is all about those kids up there,” referencing local school children who attended the opening.
The new design maintains heritage aspects of the original Carnegie library and “allows a seamless integration between the existing and new portions” of the library, county officials state.
The $2.75-million renovation to the Palmerston library adheres to the county’s green legacy building standards and meets the Emerald level of certification, the county’s highest standard.
“I trust the community will be pleased with the changes made to one of Ontario’s most storied Carnegie libraries,” said chief librarian Murray McCabe.
“The revitalized library will become a new focal point for the community to gather, and encourage more investments and families to locate to this remarkable town.”
Several speakers at the gathering referenced the building’s infamous origin, which involved local politicians adding a number of non-library elements to the building to take full advantage of the available funds from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
“Our town fathers were very frugal back then, and very creative,” said Bridge.
“They were getting this free money …. They thought ‘we’d better build a jail, a town office,’ I think they had the post office here at one time – they decided to put a 300-seat theatre upstairs.”
McCabe explained, “The first grant for the Palmerston library was $6,000. It wasn’t quite enough because Carnegie didn’t realize he was building a multi-purpose building.
“The second time they went back was for $4,000. The third time they went back for $1,500 – (so then) they sent somebody to find out what was going on here.”
“This a really unique library … one of a kind,” Bridge commented.
The proscenium arch from the upstairs theatre was maintained in the building design and a glass etching in the upper floor depicts how the theatre looked when the seats and stage were still in place. The theatre hasn’t been used since the mid-1980s, although the wooden seats were still in place when renovations began.
McCabe commended local politicians for their support of libraries across the county.
“County council’s done a wonderful job in supporting libraries It’s a very united county and libraries throughout the system are remarkable,” said McCabe, who added he often hears comments on the quality of local libraries.
“Everybody wants to know what our secret sauce is. Really it’s a government I think that feels that they need to serve the community and they have really done that with this building.”
Bridge lamented the absence of one of the local library system’s biggest backers.
“One person isn’t here with us today, but would have really appreciated this; the guy who had the idea of getting the libraries going again is Brad Whitcombe,” said Bridge.
Whitcombe, a former mayor of Puslinch Township, and three-time warden of Wellington County, passed away in November of 2014. He championed a renewal of the county library system that included the restoration of the five Carnegie libraries in Wellington and construction of several new facilities.
McCabe wrapped up his remarks with a nod to the citizens of Wellington County.
“The residents have funded some great projects,” he said.
“You guys should be very proud of it. No matter where you go in the province people know our library system is a wonderful asset.”
