![]() Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library, 2018 | |
Type | Public library |
---|---|
Established | January 4, 1905 |
Coordinates | 43°58′23″N 75°54′37″W / 43.97297584524485°N 75.91039932694189°W |
Access and use | |
Population served | 24,685 |
Other information | |
Director | Yvonne Reff |
Website | flowermemoriallibrary |
Location | 229 Washington St., Watertown, New York |
Area | less than one acre |
Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
Restored | 2007 |
Restored by | BCA Architects & Engineers |
NRHP reference No. | 80002628[1] |
Added to NRHP | January 10, 1980 |
The Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library is a Library on the National Register of Historic Places in Watertown, New York. Built during 1903 and 1904, it was donated to the city by Emma Flower Taylor as a memorial to her father, Roswell P. Flower, who was the 30th Governor of New York. As of 2022, the library has more than 113,692 Books, DVDs, videos, audio books and large books, selling on average 143,009 items per year. It also has computers allowed for the general public to use. A Genealogy department, archives and meeting rooms are also inside.[2] It is the main library in Watertown and nearby areas.[3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]
The Flower Library was not the first library in Watertown. The Watertown Social Library was created in 1805 and the Watertown Franklin Library was shut down in 1834. The Young Men’s Association had a library, but it burned down in 1849. In 1890 Watertown had three libraries. These were in the Watertown High School, St. Joachim’s Academy, and the Young Men’s Christian Association. [4] Around 1890 Watertown citizens began discussing a public library and asked the Carnegie Corporation for funding. Living in New York City at the time, Emma Flower Taylor heard about the citizens' wish for a new library. In 1901 she offered to donate the land and give money to build a library in memory of her father, Roswell P. Flower. On April 8, 1901, her gift was accepted. The library was completed and officially shown to the citizens on November 10, 1904. The library opened on January 4, 1905.[5][6] The money spent to build the library was $250,000. The library was considered a huge success for Jefferson County. The news reported “The Flower Memorial Library is unique in that every embellishment is a record of something of importance to Jefferson County. It was a daring thought of the designer to establish such restrictions for artistic inspiration, but the result justifies the idea.” The library became known as “the most beautiful small library in the United States.” [4]
The Friends of the Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and enhancing the resources of the library, founded in 1954. The organization organizes fundraising events, including an annual book sale. Proceeds from events and other fundraising activities provide gifts and endowments to the library, helping to make possible critical improvements and to enhance offerings for patrons.[7]
In October 2019 work began on the children's room, which added a puppet theater, a costume area, a computer room, and an audio center to listen to audiobooks. For the 100th anniversary of the Kiwanis Club of Watertown, the club donated fifteen thousand dollars (USD) to help fund the expansion. [8]
Built with inspiration from Greek and Roman architecture, the library is two stories, made of brick, rectangular building coated with marble with a dome in the middle.[9] The dome creates a rotunda, which is the main part of the interior. [10]
One of the biggest details of the library are the two stone lions in front of the library. The lions were not originally on the building, they were added in June 1905. The Watertown Herald reported that “The new Flower Library is being further beautified by Mrs. J. B. Taylor . . . Two marble lions will guard the entrance.”[11] The two stone lions were made in Italy. The lions have needed a few repairs over the years, the lion was first damaged in 1925 by a falling maple tree. In 1909, One of the lions had a tooth broken off and it was jokingly reported that “the big beast never winced when dentist W. W. Puffer did the job.” In 1982, a lion lost his tail. This time, a 12 year old boy leaned against the lion. The tail fell onto the steps and broke into several pieces.[12]
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