The Troy Public library is the main public library building in the city of Troy, New York, and is located across the street from Russell Sage College in downtown Troy. Currently, the library has one other location, the Lansingburgh branch, which had been temporarily closed in 2009 due to budget concerns. The Sycaway branch was also temporarily closed in January 2009 but has been closed permanently since 2011. The first library began in 1799.

History

The current building was completed in 1897 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, both in its own right and as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

to the Central Troy Historic District. TroyPublicLibraryInterior

It is one of the oldest cultural institutions in Troy and was established by the Young Men’s Association. Funds to construct the downtown library, the Hart Memorial Building, were donated by Mary E. Hart to honor her late husband, William Howard Hart. Designed by the New York City architectural firm of Barney and Chapman, the library is an example of the American Renaissance style, which had evolved with the success of the 1893 World's

Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

in Chicago. Other examples of the style include the Villard Houses (1886), The

Low Library The Low Memorial Library (nicknamed Low) is a building at the center of Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus in Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building, located near 116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Aven ...

at Columbia University (1894) and the Boston Public Library The official opening of the Lansingburgh branch of the Troy Public Library was on November 22, 1980. The Hart Memorial Building was occupied by the Troy Public Library and was constructed in 1896-97 and was at the time, “one of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance.” On January 26, 1946, Dr. Ray Palmer Baker(Dean of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at the time) was elected president of the board of directors of Troy’s Public Library at an annual meeting. January 29, 1946, books that were added totaled 1,869 and over 1,000 books withdrawn because they were either outdated or worn out. There were around 75,446 volumes in the library at this time. On February 26, 1946, Henry Christman ran a Rensselaer County Historical Society meeting where he discussed the “Anti-rent Movement in Rensselaer County. At around 1953, the Troy Public Library received approximately $50,000 per year from the city of Troy which was stated to be a municipal budget. The library received a grant in 1959 from the City of Troy in order to fulfil operating costs. On December 6th, 1980, the library representatives requested a $40,000 increase for the operating costs but it remained at $160,000 for the year. On December 9th, 1980, the Troy Public Library was at risk of closing due to unfulfilled funding requests to maintain the Library and its services for the community. For many years prior to 1980, the Lansingburgh branch of the Troy Public Library was housed at an old academy building at 144th street and 4th ave. The building was owned by the Lansingburgh School District. It was soon sold to the City. The library's operating expenses began increasing through 1971 at 15 cent per cent a year with the same influx of income. Under these conditions the Library was at risk of closing.(1887).

Exterior Description

The exterior west and south walls of the Troy Public Library are constructed of white Vermont marble. The walls are rusticated on the first story, and are contrasted with dressed stones, Ashler Masonry, on the upper story. The facades are articulated carved stone courses, water table, and

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

. The ornament surrounding the three windows on the Second Street side are highly detailed. The Ferry Street side of the building is a five bay loggia at the second story level. This building is topped by a stone parapet, with a

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

over the entrance. The building was described in the 1972, as "one of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance style in this country". The building also boasts a tiffany glass window depicting the Venetian scholar and printer

Aldus Manutius Aldus Pius Manutius (; it, Aldo Pio Manuzio; 6 February 1515) was an Italian printer and humanist who founded the Aldine Press. Manutius devoted the later part of his life to publishing and disseminating rare texts. His interest in and preserv ...

.Troy Public Library. ''Tiffany Windows in Troy''.

References

External links

Troy Public Library websiteHistory of the Troy Public Library
{{authority control Library buildings completed in 1897 Public libraries in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Troy, New York National Register of Historic Places in Troy, New York Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Tourist attractions in Rensselaer County, New York Historic district contributing properties in New York (state) Troy NY Times Records 1946, 1967 Old Fulton NY Postcard 1971