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An exterior front shot of the Gardiner Public Library at 152 Water Street, Gardiner Maine

Baxter, a Maine coon cat who is the library mascot

Baxter the library cat comes to visit the Gardiner Public Library to help out with the fundraising efforts to restore our Children's Room

An interior shot of the library's beautifully restored stained glass window as well as a shot of the current restoration of the Children's Room. Both projects were funded in part by 2 separate New Century Community Grant funds.

Gardiner Public Library

Gardiner Public Library provides library services for 6 towns which makes for a busy day but it is more so with renovations underway.

Gardiner Public Library provides library services for nearly 19,000 citizens. This mission extends to the library’s structure in which the entire second floor is being renovated and restructured to improve children and YA services

Current Project

The current project will expose the vaulted/beam ceiling (hidden by a drop ceiling for over 45 years) with new lights, windows and equipment.A small amount of space will be added to the room. The stage space will remain the YA area. Other than that, the floor plan will be totally redesigned. Renovations will total $107,000 with $50,000 from a New Century Library Grant and the remainder secured through private donations by the Gardiner Library Association. Upon the completion of the second floor project, a capital campaign will begin to fund plans to renovate the first floor and the exteriors

The second floor restructuring began with the renovation of the eight foot rosetta stain glass window on the front of the building. The window - hidden for so long - will now be enjoyed from both the inside and the outside since it will be illuminated at night.

Interestingly, in the early stages of renovations, the workmen discovered a hand painted stage curtain tucked above the false ceiling. The children’s room was once a museum with a stage for plays and lectures. The curtain is thought to be some 100 years old and shows a Grecian woman with a book on her lap gazing off in the distance. If it can be preserved the curtain may be displayed on the back of the stage.

Dual Organization, serving 6 Towns

This phenomenal undertaking will be enjoyed by patrons from the following six towns: Gardiner, Randolph, Pittstona, Farmingdale, West Gardiner, and Litchfield. The library is governed by the Gardiner Library Association and the city. It is a dual organization because the Association - a private non-profit organization - owns the building, land, and half of the collection while the operation of the library falls within the jurisdiction of the city and is a distinct city department paying the staff and utilities.

Background

This dual organization has operated since the library opened in 1881. This dual governess is no more unique that the beginning of the library itself. Pulitzer Prize winning author, Laura E. Richards, presented the idea of a public library to the City Fathers and received a flat “no”. With her strenuous efforts Laura Richards obtained a gift of land and sufficient funds to finance the entire project. Her husband, Henry Richards, even donated his architect services to design the brick and stone building.

With the Richards combined efforts, the library was created. In 1930 the R.P. Hazzard wing was added to the south side. This was first used as a children’s room and is now the Hazzard Reading Room. The Hazzard family continues its love for the library by recently providing the funds to purchase handsome darkening blinds for the Reading Room. The J. Walter Robinson Reference Wing was completed in 1960. Donations are as necessary now as they were then. With the current renovations and upcoming projects there will be numerous opportunities to validate 127 years of service to the communities.

The Queen Anne/Neo-Baroque style library anchors the south end of Gardiner’s main street with Reny’s and Gardiner Savings Institution recently renamed to Savings Bank of Maine. The Kennebec River is about one hundred yards away with an expanded waterfront. The new Rail Trail going all the way to Augusta is near by. The 1866 Opera House is just up the street housing the Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center. Not to be outdone by the talent performing there, the numerous active artists along Water Street throw their doors open four times a year with Friday night Art Walks. Enjoy a stroll main street, visit studios of some twenty-five artists after a dinner at A-1 Dinner or enjoy dessert at the A-1 To Go.

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Gardiner is “on the move” as is the library. The library recently created a web site focusing on Edwin Arlington Robinson. He grew up on Lincoln Avenue just above the library. A poet of world renown and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Robinson is most loved for the mythic “Tilbury Town”. Generations of Gardiner residents have speculated on the identities of “local characters” who inspired Robinson poems.

Library Events

Other Gardiner library events include a Book Discussion group on Tuesday nights, Tilbury Town Poets Discussion Group, numerous presentations in the Hazzard Reading Room and for children, Babies Love Babies Play Group Fridays 10 to 11am and Preschool Story Hour Tuesday 10:30 to 11:00 am.

Please visit the library and Gardiner whenever you’re available.

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Learn more about Gardiner Public Library

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