The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-06-07
NO. BENNINGTON
To HAVE LARGE
4 PUBLIC LIBRARY
Mrs. ]. G. Mccullough to Present
Valuable Gift to Village
TO BE ON MAIN STREET
Building Will Be of Red Brick with
Slate Roof--WiI Accommodate
5000 Volumes.

The village of North Bennington is
ITO be presented by one of her native
daughters with a beautiful and use
ful gift, one from which the communi-
ty will derive permanent pleasure and
good.
Mrs. j. G. Mccullough, widow of the
late ex-Gov Mccullough, after much
considering as to what gift within her
power to bestow, would be of the
greatest service to her home village,
wisely decided that library came the
nearest to the hearts Of the public.
In accordance with this decision,
Mrs. Mccullough purchased a year
ago of Miss Emily Scott, the site on
the corner of Main and West streets
and on this excellent location will be
erected the Mccullough Public Lii
brary, in memory Of her late husband.
She has contemplated this project
for several years, but owing to her
activities during the war, it has been
postponed until the present time.
The building was designed by the
same firm of architects who designed
the New York cathedral, Renwick,
lAspinwall G. Tucker; and the construc-
tion viii be in charge of building CON
structor, Clinton M. Cruikshang, of
l103 Park avenue, New York, who has
but recently Completed the Nurses
Home, connected with the Putnam
Memorial hospital. The work of ex-
lcavating for the foundations will be
commenced at once
The building is to be SO by So feet,
Iof red brick with slate roof.
Facing Main steret when completed,
ones thought at first sight might we'll
bea Somewhat back from the village
street, stands the oldfashiopad coun-
ty seat--across its antique portico .
tor the style is to be purely
{ Colonial, from the entrance ana bal
lcony overhead, to the fan shaped and
many paned windows of Revolutionary
days.
The main entrance will open into a
hall which leads to the library room,
proper. This room is to be 80 by 30
feet, extending the full width OF the
building, with outer doors at the rear.
The entrances being opposite will thus
give excellent circulation in warm
weather AT the rear will be the book
stacks to accommodate about 5000
volumes, with ample provision for ad-
dition from time to time. The present
Free Library contains about 1000
books.
At the right of the hall will be locat-
ed the librarians room. This will
contain all conyeniences for such cat
aloging and repair work as form part
lof the duties OF all librarians. To the
left of the hall is to be an alcove from
the main room for the children and
here too provision will be made to
arrange the children's books.
The cellar will contain, beside the
furnace and coal rooms, room for
/ lunpacking books and where all litter
can be kept from the library proper.
On the second floor will be a hall
directly over the lower one, with
cloak rooms to the left This hall will
open into room 20 by 20 feet, which
will make an ideal girls club ROOM
with a htchenette where cooking
could be demonstrated and which will
no doubt prove itself useful in various
ways. In the rear of these rooms will
be an assembly room, the full width
of the building and is feet deep, with
raised platform This room is des-
igned for small audiences and will be
a wonderful convenience in case of
lectures or talks where larger hall is
mot needed. The assembly and club
rooms with accordion doors between
can be easily thrown together when
larger gatherings require it,
The building is to be we'll lighted
| by many large windows.
| When the building is completed, the
donor will be able to look upon her
work and say that 1t is good; and the
citizens who are benefited by the pre-
sentation of this beautiful memorial
| to the village of North Bennington
will owe an everlasting debt of grati-
tude to their friend and benefactress,
Mrs, ], G Mccullough