Property Record
155 E 1ST ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | CARLTON A. FRIDAY MEMORIAL LIBRARY |
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| Other Name: | FRIDAY MEMORIAL LIBRARY |
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| Reference Number: | 237483 |
| Location (Address): | 155 E 1ST ST |
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| County: | St. Croix |
| City: | New Richmond |
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| Year Built: | 1963 |
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| Additions: | 1989 |
| Survey Date: | 2018 |
| Historic Use: | library |
| Architectural Style: | Usonian |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | John W. Steinmann Architects; Drossler Construction (Builder) |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | The New Richmond Library Association was established in 1883 in the home of Anna Hoyt Epley, who led the fledgling organization on East Third Street. For more information on Anna Hoyt Epley, refer to the Notable People chapter. A library room was located in a series of second-floor offices along South Knowles Avenue until it found a home in the Masonic Lodge, on the second floor of the building located at 138 South Knowles Avenue, which also contained the First National Bank and the City Hall. In 1910, funds were secured to construct a Carnegie Library in New Richmond; however, the city failed to find a suitable site for the project. The library was then associated with the location of the New Richmond City Hall for several decades to the 1960s. The Friday Foundation, established by Bess Friday in honor of her husband Carlton Friday, who operated the New Richmond Roller Mills/Doughboy Company, supported a number of construction and improvement projects in New Richmond during the 1950s and 1960s. The foundation donated funds for the construction of a public library. In 1961, the new library was planned and located in Glover Park in the center of the city. The building included four wings in a cross-plan: an adult reading room, an exhibit wing, storage, and a periodicals section in the building’s wings. The Wrightian style Carlton A. Friday Memorial Library, located at 155 East First Street, was completed in 1963. The library was designed by the architect John W. Steinmann and constructed by the Droessler Construction Company. An addition, for use as a children’s section of the library, was constructed in 1989 and was built by the Derrick Construction Company. |
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| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |