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Name, Location, Ownership Goodwin Library 1. Historic name _______________________________
2. District or area Downtown Farmington, NH 3. Street and number 422 Main St. 4. City or town Farmington 5. County Strafford County 6. Current owner Farmington Public Library Association Function or Use 7. Current use(s) Library 8. Historic use(s) Library Architectural Information 9. Style Classical Revival 10. Architect/builder J. Edwin Richardson 11. Source (Nason, 1952, 4). 12. Construction date 1929 13. Source
(Nason, 4).
14. Alterations, with dates Back addition (2 floors with restrooms), 1986 Back elevator (3 levels), 2005
15. Moved?
no X yes
date:
Exterior Features 16. Foundation 17. Cladding
Concrete, unspecified Brick
35. Photo #1
18. Roof material Slate
Direction: East
36. Date: 10/10/14
19. Chimney material Brick
37. Reference:1 East Side- Goodwin Library
20. Type of roof Hip roof
floor has flat roof
21. Chimney location Both ends, single exterior 22. Number of stories 3 23. Entry location Façade, center 24. Windows Palladian; fixed, and double hung Replacement?
no X yes
date:
Site Features 25. Setting
Small town or village center
26. Outbuildings
None
____________ ______
28. Acreage
.17
U05-212 29. Tax map/parcel #_____
__________________ _____
or hedge rows; and garden, 27. Landscape features Hedges _____________ ______
30. Map reference 332,743.27,4,806,113.89 ____________
flowers _______________________________________________
31. USGS quadrangle and scale
Farmington 1:9,028_____
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INDIVIDUAL INVENTORY FORM Form prepared by: Library Director Shanna Smith 32. Name _______________________________________ Farmington Public Library Association 33. Organization __________________________________ th
October 8 , 2014 34. Date of survey ________________________________
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39. LOCATION MAP:
The location map should show where the property is in relation to major roads within the town. You may replace this page with two full-sized (8.5”x11”) maps if preferred.
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40. PROPERTY M AP:
The property map should show the ENTIRE surveyed parcel, with lot lines and all buildings and structures. The property map may also include the photo key. You may replace this page with two full-sized (8.5”x11”) maps if preferred.
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41. Historical Background and Role in the Town or City’s Development: New Hampshire is proud to claim the institution of a State Library as one of the oldest in the United States dating back to the year 1717 (New Hampshire State Library, http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/about/index.html). Laws in the State of New Hampshire supporting libraries date back to the year 1891 (“Title XVI Libraries, Public Libraries 202:A:2”). New Hampshire’s history clearly demonstrates a strong regard for the institution of libraries; the Town of Farmington first references a library association, the Farmington Social Library Association, in 1853 (Farmington Old Home Week Association, 1904). The association that today still manages the library, Farmington Public Library Association, was formally organized on December 8th, 1890 by fourteen community members and approved by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Frank G. Clarke, the President of the Senate John McLane, and Governor Hiram A. Tuttle on March 25th, 1891 (State of New Hampshire, Office of Secretary of State, Chapter 210). Then in 1895, an act enabled the library to be supported by the town “in order to secure to said town the free use of the library” (State of New Hampshire, Office of Secretary of State, Chapter 210). “No project in Farmington up to that time had ever received such a generous and hearty support from all its citizens as had that of the public library and reading room” (Nason, 1952, 4). The library for 38 years was housed in the Farmington Opera House (Nason, 1952, 4). The small physical establishment did not represent the growing importance of the library presence in the community. Fundraisers and membership fees raised money for books and materials. The reading room was free to all residents, but the lending of books was restricted to paying subscribers (Bicentennial History Committee, 1976). The association often hosted balls, plays, and shows during this period to supplement basic operating expenses. The first two documented fundraisers were in 1893; the Farmington Public Library Association hosted both a Living Library March with people dressed as book characters and a Columbian Bazaar (Nason, 1952, 4). The Farmington Women’s Club, also an active library supporter, held card parties, plays, and benefits as well. These fundraisers and membership fees maintained library services until 1928 when a fire destroyed the opera building and the library collection (“Cornerstone of George H. Goodwin…,” 1928, 4). Despite this disaster, the community rallied for the presence of the new library. The land, on which the present library stands, was purchased from E.T. Willson at the generous price of one dollar (State of New Hampshire, Strafford County, 1928, Book 428, 221). George Goodwin, of West Milton, was then persuaded to fund the building of a new library. Goodwin, while not a famous name in history, was well known in the Farmington and Milton area at the time. He was said to be a “farmer, stockman, orchardist, and experimentalist,” and “blacksmith, mechanic and woodworker,” and “above all these, his analytical acumen as a financier and student of affairs stands out” (“Cornerstone of George H. Goodwin,” 4). Goodwin is remembered to this day because of his many contributions to the area, including the library. To honor his important work and memory, the Farmington Public Library Association still maintains his family cemetery plot outside of town. The cornerstone of the Goodwin Library was laid on August 23rd, 1928. The architect hired for the project was Edwin Richardson, a familiar name associated with town buildings in the Dover, New Hampshire area (Nason, 1952). The building was finally dedicated on May 10th, 1929, and the doors were opened for business the next day (Nason, 1952). The Goodwin Library provided typical library services following the 1928 construction, including access to books, materials, and programs to engage the community. The Goodwin Library ran a book group titled "Great Books" in the 1950’s (“Room for More in Great Books Group,” 1953). The library provided meeting space for town programs and local organizations including the Farmington Women’s Club, Farmington Building and Loan Association, Girl Scouts, and Visiting Nurses Association. These organizations and more met frequently between 1929-1965 in the library. The library also hosted special programs: Farmington Tree Lighting in 1939, which “may be considered one of the finest demonstrations ever made in Farmington” (“ Outdoor Christmas Carols Among Holiday Features”); Defense Drive to collect aluminum for the war effort (“366 LBS. Aluminum Collected Locally,” 1941); Girl Scout Book Fair (“Farmington Girl Scouts,” 1947); State Hospital Gift Drive for multiple years starting in 1948 (“State Hospital Project”); Memorial Day Honor Roll (“Rites to Mark Memorial Day,” 1958); and Operation Headstart (“Operation Headstart,” 1965). In 1930, the library was also featured as part of the town’s “We Believe in Farmington- Do You?” campaign (“The Story of Farmington”). This slogan was used to encourage residents to patronize local businesses and organizations, including the Goodwin Library. The library building was made possible by George Goodwin generosity, but the library itself is the result of communitywide effort. Groups including the Town of Farmington, the local Glee Club, Franconia Notch Committee, State of New Hampshire, the Public Library Commission from Concord, shoe manufacturing companies, Farmington citizens,
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Farmington Women’s Club, and the Trustees of the Farmington Public Library Association donated time, money, and books to keep the library going over many years (Nason, 4). Since its conception in the 1890s, Farmington residents have continued to watch and help the library this institution grow and flourish. Though built in 1928,the Goodwin Library was already suffering growing pains in 1949: “The Goodwin Library is actually outgrowing itself” due to increased circulation and use (“Farmington Library Nearly 20 Years Old…”). Again in 1964, “visitors to the Town Library can clearly see the need for additional space” (Watman). Although the library’s growth was recognized at this time, the space issues were not dealt with until the rear addition was added in 1984. History continues to repeat itself to this day as the library grows with more patronage, materials, and services every year. For more than a hundred years, the town and library association have continually worked together to provide a library for the use of the citizens of Farmington, their descendants, and future generations.
42. Applicable NHDHR Historic Contexts (please list names from appendix C): Context# 106, Libraries in New Hampshire Context# 107, Local Government
43. Architectural Description and Comparative Evaluation: The Goodwin Library is a symmetrical two-story building with a stone water table marking a slightly above-ground basement. The library was built on a very small piece of property, only .17 acres in size. It is directly next to a bank, onto which a 1986 addition was over the alley and against the library's northwest wall. The buildings abut, but are not structurally connected. The bank’s parking lot and drive surround the south and east side of the library building. Due to this, the library has limited landscaped space on the south and west sides, with the exception of the small front yard on Main Street. The Classical Revival style is common in public buildings from the 1920s, particularly in the town of Farmington. The library is red brick with white trim and stone accents with chimneys centered on both side walls. The center of the façade is a gable-topped bay bumped out about one brick-width from the façade plane. The centered door is set in a Roman Doric classical surround, including two engaged columns on either side of the centered front door, topped with an entablature bearing the name of the library and a full pediment. To either side of this are lantern lights. The hipped slate roof and intersecting front gable are covered in slate tiles and supported by a wooden cornice with modillions. Visitors approach the door via 6 granite steps, with iron railings to either side and in the center of the staircase. The door is half-lit, with six panes on top, flanked by sidelights and a non-operable paned transom. The door bay is flanked by 8/8 windows set in blind brick arches with keystones and springing arches, with a Palladian window above the door, centered on the second floor, flanked by stone panels. The Palladian window breaks the base of the pediment of the center gabled bay, which ends in cornice returns on either end. The south (southeast) façade features a central brick chimney that slightly projects from the façade, flanked by two windows on each floor. The ground floor windows are set in blind arches with stone detailing, a simplified version of the front façade's details. It can be assumed from the symmetry on the interior that the north (northwest) façade once matched this arrangement. An entry to the 1984 addition projects from the rear-most part of this façade, a simplified version of the style of the original building. It maintains the water table, with very simple corner details for the doors and windows and a simplified cornice. The rear west (southwest) façade of the original building only shows that the roof cornice detail continued all the way around the building. The 1984 addition covers the rest of the façade, and the 2005 ADA addition, with elevator tower and ground-level entrance, maintain the same simplified detailing that the west façade had on the addition. The original entryway, coming from Main Street, has wood paneling and features 2 historic plaques; on the north side of the entryway the Henry Wilson Grange installed a tablet to honor local, former Vice-President Henry Wilson, and the opposite side recognizes the library donors, architect, and trustees that contributed to the construction of the building. French doors then open to the main space of the library. A single pane, textured glass transom above these doors provides additional natural lighting to the main room.
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The main room embraces the historic charm of a 1920s library. Brick fireplaces with floor-to-ceiling oak surrounds dominate the north (northwest) and south (southeast) walls, flanked by bookcases and then windows. Each mantel holds books, and the panels above feature brass-finished wall sconces flanking historic portraits: the south fireplace displays the portrait of George Goodwin’s mother, Sophronia, with a lower plaque that acknowledges Isaac Pearl, a founder of the Farmington Public Library Association. The north fireplace displays George Goodwin with a lower plaque acknowledging Benjamin and Bertha Lewis, who bequeathed the value of their sold property upon passing (Farmington Public Library Association, 1987). The built-in library shelves are not full height, and the rest of the library features tables, chairs, and a public service counter. A floral area rug and two wing-back chairs denote a public reading space in front of the south fireplace. On the southeast side of the main floor there is a staircase leading both up to the second floor and down to the basement. On the second floor, double heavy wooden doors lead to a high ceilinged meeting room. This room also features a small, built-in platform that acts as a stage on the north side of the room, and an art rail that provides space for displays on every wall. The basement currently houses the Farmington Historical Society. The room is primarily painted concrete with four supporting beams towards the center of the room; it is currently laid out as a museum. The rear part of the library building, basement and main floor, was added in 1985 (Farmington Public Library Association, 1985). This addition has similar brick, windows, layout, and shelving. These renovations were made possible by the Thayer Family, owners of the neighboring bank. The family gifted the amount needed for the expansion after the sale of land between the library and Farmington National and Savings Bank (Farmington Public Library Association, 1984). In 1986, the bank expanded and built against the library’s north wall, which eliminated an alleyway between the two properties. The most recent renovation took place in 2005 when an elevator to the main floor, basement floor, and back exit was built on the east side to make the library more A.D.A. compliant. The elevator addition added space to the rear exit and function to the library, although the elevator maintenance room was created in an existing closet from the 1985 remodel. The Goodwin Library retains the open spaces, built-in shelving, and Classical Revival detailing of its original 1920s construction, with expansion to the rear of the building being subservient and sensitive to the original design and use.
44. National or State Register Criteria Statement of Significance: The Goodwin Library is eligible for the New Hampshire State Register under criterion A for its long-standing history as a social and educational institution in the town of Farmington. While the town had a library association since at least 1890 (and likely before, in different iterations), a fire in the Opera House where it was housed caused the community to pull together and find a sponsor for a purpose-built library building which they have supported, both publicly and privately, for several generations. The library is an educational institution that also supports other community organizations by providing meeting space. The Goodwin Library is also eligible for listing under criterion C as an excellent example of Classical Revival architecture that both retains its character-defining features and has proved its adaptability by serving the community continuously since 1929.
45. Period of Significance: 1929 – 1965 (50-year cut-off)
46. Statement of Integrity: The Goodwin Library conveys integrity in all of the following aspects: The library building has always rested in the current spot in the downtown district of Farmington. The setting of the Goodwin Library has been altered by the construction of a bank building which eliminated an alley between it and the library in the 1980s. It does, however, retain a relationship to Main Street and the downtown Farmington district which is unaltered. The Goodwin Library retains many highly detailed features of Classical Revival design, including the elaborate
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door surrounded in the Roman Doric style, the Palladian window, and a cornice with modillions. The brick, stone, and wood of the original construction remain mostly intact, preserving materials, design, and workmanship. The careful maintenance and thoughtfully-designed expansions preserve the original library building and relationship with the community, embracing the historic nature of the building and institution, representing its value to the community. 47. Boundary Discussion: Lot U05-212 was designated for the library’s construction in 1928 at the time of purchase, and has been used as such ever since that date.
48. Bibliography and/or References: 366 LBS. Aluminum Collected Locally. (1941, August 8). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantage-preservation.com/. Bicentennial History Committee. (1976). The History of Farmington, New Hampshire. Farmington, NH: The Foster Press. Cornerstone of George H. Goodwin Library Receives Homage of Public Program. (1928, August 10). Farmington News, 4. Farmington Girl Scouts. (1947, February 7). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantagepreservation.com/. Farmington Library Nearly 20 Yrs Old, Annual Income Too Small for Adequate Support. (1949, January 14). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantage-preservation.com/. Farmington Old Home Week Association. (1904, August 20). Souvenir of Farmington, New Hampshire. Farmington News Print. Farmington Public Library Association. (1984, December 21). Meeting of the Farmington Public Library Association Special Building Committee. Farmington, NH. Farmington Public Library Association. (1985, March 21). Meeting of the Farmington Public Library Association Special Building Committee. Farmington, NH. Farmington Public Library Association. (1987, May 21). Meeting Minutes for May 21, 1987. Farmington, NH. Goodwin Library. (2014). About. The Goodwin Library: Serving the Town of Farmington, New Hampshire. Retrieved from http://www.goodwinlibrary.org/about/. Nason, E. B. (1952, December 12). Farmington Public Library: A history from its beginning in Dec. 1890 until 1935. Farmington News, 4. New Hampshire State Library. (Unknown). About Us, History. New Hampshire State Library. Retrieved from http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/about/index.html. Operation Headstart. (1965, August 12). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantagepreservation.com/. Outdoor Christmas Carols Among Holiday Features. (1939, December 29). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantage-preservation.com/. Richardson, J. Edwin. (1928). Goodwin Architectural Drawings. Town of Farmington Collections.
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Rites to Mark Memorial Day. (1958, May 29). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantagepreservation.com/. Room For More in Great Books Group. (1953, October 23). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantage-preservation.com/. State Hospital Project. (1948, December 10). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantagepreservation.com/. State of New Hampshire, Office of Secretary of State. (1891, 1895). An Act to Incorporate the Farmington Public Library Association. New Hampshire Session Laws, Chapter 210. State of New Hampshire, Strafford County. (1928). Warranty Deed: Edward Willson to Farmington Public Library Association. Strafford County Records, Book 428, 221. Story of Farmington. (1930, July 4). The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantagepreservation.com/. Title XVI Libraries, Public Libraries 202:A:2 (original 1891). State of New Hampshire Revised Statutes Online. Retrieved from http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xvi/202-a/202-a-mrg.htm. Watman, Tom. (1964, Feburary 20). Town Talk. The Farmington News. Retrieved from http://farmington.advantagepreservation.com/.
Surveyor’s Evaluation: NR listed:
individual _____ within district _____
Integrity:
yes no
____ _____
NR eligible: NR Criteria: individual ____ within district ____ not eligible _____ more info needed _____
A B C D E
__ __ _____ __ __ _____ _____
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Photo # 2 Date: 10/3/14 Description/Reference: 2 South Side- Goodwin Library Direction: South
Photo # 3 Date: 10/3/14 Description/Reference: 2 Back Door- Goodwin Library Direction: West
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Photo # 4 Date: unknown Description/Reference: Postcard/ 2 Black and White- Goodwin Library Direction: East
Photo # 5 Date: 5/10/1929 Description/Reference: 5 Dedication 1929- Goodwin Library Direction: East
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Photo # 6 Date: 10/9/14 Description/Reference: 6 South Interior- Goodwin Library Direction: South
