| Nocat: | 1 |
| Goodrich Memorial Library | |
| Nrhp Type: | nrhp |
| Coordinates: | 44.9359°N -72.2104°W |
| Architect: | William Storey |
| Added: | November 23, 1983 |
| Refnum: | 83004228 |
| Nrhp Type2: | indcp |
| Designated Nrhp Type2: | September 28, 2006 |
| Partof Refnum: | 06000898 |
The Goodrich Memorial Library is a public library in Newport, Orleans County, Vermont. It is the largest and only one of two full-time libraries in the county. It is located at 202 Main Street in downtown Newport, in a Romanesque building constructed in 1899.
Converse Goodhue Goodrich and his wife, Almira, donated money for the construction of a free library. The land was worth $6000, the building $20,000. Construction was started in 1898. It dedicated on September 1, 1899.[1] Architect William Storey designed the building.[2]
The stock used to fund the operations of the library failed during the depression in 1933. This forced the library to enlist public support.[1]
It opened with 6500 books.[1]
In November 1983, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The library budget for 2008 is $160,550. Newport city contributes $99,000 of this amount.[3]
There are fireplaces fashioned of colored brick, rooms finished in red birch, Georgia pine, cypress, native spruce, Swanton red marble, with furnishings in quartered oak.[1]
The upstairs hall consists of an art room, decorated more or less in period style, a long hall for meetings, an office, and a reading room. There are several old paintings on display in the art room, and a display case of postcards and paraphernalia from Newport's history.
Perhaps most noteworthy is the floor-to-ceiling wall of glass cases that house a variety of stuffed animals and natural curiosities. These include an alligator shot in Florida in the 1900s, an ostrich egg, and a flying squirrel found in Vermont. As they were originally preserved with mercury, they can only be handled and cared for by trained professionals.[1]