The Orange Public Library is the free

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

, in Essex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, United States. Serving a population of about 33,000, the library collection contains 150,000 volumes and circulates 56,000 annually.

History

The library began in 1883 as association library, supported by dues, endowments and donations and opened its current main building, designed by

McKim, Mead, and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

, in 1901. Across its facade is engraved Stickler Memorial in honor of the son, who had died suddenly a year earlier, of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Stickler, who donated the $100,000 cost of its construction. It was built during the "free library movement" at the turn of the 20th century. In a 1945 referendum the citizens approved support for a free public library, and took over the operations of the building as municipally operated facility. It was added to the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

and federal registers of historic places in 1981. In 2010 it was estimated that refurbishing the building, in need of repairs, would cost $1.5 million. Dennis Kowal Architects, historic preservation and library design specialists, developed Preservation Plans to restore the building and update the library services resulting in a Historic Trust Grant. In phase one, the rotunda was opened and phase two is under study.

References

{{authority control Library buildings completed in 1901 Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Neoclassical architecture in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Essex County, New Jersey Public libraries in New Jersey McKim, Mead & White buildings Orange, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places

History

See also

References