HISTORIC MOFFAT LIBRARY GRAND REOPENING
HISTORIC MOFFAT LIBRARY
GRAND REOPENING AND
RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY
Saturday, September 16, 2017
2:00 PM
Moffat Library of Washingtonville
6 West Main Street
Washingtonville, New York
Built in 1887, the Moffat Library of Washingtonville was the gift of David H. Moffat Jr. to his home town after he had amassed a fortune in Colorado in railroading. The land that the library sits on was owned by Moffat’s grandfather, Samuel Moffat, one of the founders of the Village of Washingtonville.
Moffat Library was designed by the architect George Edward Harney in the Queen Anne style. The Library’s landmark tower features an original Howard clock and the roof of the formal portico entrance is supported by elaborately scrolled Greek columns. This architectural gem was designated a historic landmark and placed on the National Register in 1994.
Rendered uninhabitable by flooding during Hurricane Irene in 2011, and turned over to the Moffat Library Board of Trustees by the Village of Washingtonville shortly thereafter, the Board secured the services of the Architectural Firm of Roland Butler Mays to develop a building plan to present to the Washingtonville community. A Washingtonville School District Referendum Vote to secure a $6.92 bond to restore and enlarge the library building passed with overwhelming support from the community in March, 2015.
The single largest contract for the expansion and renovation for General Construction was awarded to the Washingtonville, N.Y. Company, StandBack Construction and the official ground-breaking ceremony took place in April, 2016.
A New York State construction grant was awarded in 2014 and paid for the demolition of two buildings for the library’s new parking lot and the site preparation work. In 2015 the library received another NYS construction grant to install a HVAC mechanical system into the building.
A 2017 NYS construction grant application is currently being prepared to renovate the Carriage House that sits on the grounds of the library.
Work on the building continued tirelessly since April, 2016. The library’s roof was replaced with the original grey slate that it had in 1887 and the original entrance portico has been transformed into a glass-walled reading room. The historic clock tower is currently under restoration and the library’s original Tiffany windows have been restored and will shortly be reinstalled.
The new expansions include a new circulation area, new children’s room, two conference rooms, a program room and staff work space. The new additions were added to seamlessly blend with the original structure.
A Grand Reopening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony took place on Saturday, September 16 at 2 PM at the “restored, renewed & reimagined Moffat Library,” 6 West Main Street, Washingtonville, NY.
