Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library
Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library, 2018
TypePublic library
EstablishedJanuary 4, 1905; 119 years ago (1905-01-04)
Coordinates43°58′23″N 75°54′37″W / 43.97297584524485°N 75.91039932694189°W / 43.97297584524485; -75.91039932694189
Access and use
Population served24,685
Other information
DirectorYvonne Reff
Websiteflowermemoriallibrary.org
Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library is located in New York
Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library
Location229 Washington St., Watertown, New York
Arealess than one acre
Architectural styleLate 19th And 20th Century Revivals
Restored2007
Restored byBCA Architects & Engineers
NRHP reference No.80002628[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 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]

History

Founding

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]

Friends of the Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library

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]

Modern Day

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]

Architecture

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]

Lions

Image of the left Lion at the main entrance

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]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. ↑ "Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library". Visit 1000 Islands. 2013-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  3. ↑ "Flower Memorial Library: About Us: Trustees". Flower Memorial Library.org. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Flower Memorial Library". City of Watertown, NY. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ Flower Memorial Library Tour Brochure (PDF). p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library | New York Heritage". nyheritage.org. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  7. ↑ "About". Friends of RPFML. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  8. ↑ Burt, Rachel. "Flower Memorial Library receives donation from Kiwanis, plans new children's rooms". NNY360. Archived from the original on 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  9. ↑ "Arrive Downtown Watertown NY 13601 - Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library". arrivedowntown.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  10. ↑ "Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library, Watertown, NY". BCA Architects & Engineers. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  11. ↑ "Library Tour Guide" (PDF). Flower Memorial Library. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Library Lions and Building Style – Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library". Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-01-28.

Other websites

Media related to Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library at Wikimedia Commons

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