The history of a community and a family is being recognized by the Savona Free Library, which announced this week its community/library meeting building will be named the Mary Helen Joint Meeting House.
The building – the former Seager Funeral Home – was purchased by the library in 2011, and is being named in honor of Joint in recognition of her generous support of this adaptive re-use project, according to library Director Jenny Peer.
“Mary Helen Joint continues to support the community,” Peer said.
Joint is a life-long resident of Savona, with community ties back to 1869. The Joint family owned and operated the Joint Hardware Co. in Savona from1892 to1989.
Joint also owned and operated the Rocking Horse, a gift and antique store in Savona.
The Joint family has a long history of community service and philanthropy, according to library officials.
William E. Joint served on the Board of Education in 1893 when the Savona School received its first charter, and Mrs. Harry Joint was the first librarian at the Savona Free Library when it was chartered in 1923.
The Mary Helen Joint Meeting House is one of the oldest buildings in Savona. It is “an excellent example of a Late Federal-Early Greek Revival era dwelling” according to John Bonafide, Historic Preservation Services Coordinator for the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Bonafide said the house was built around 1830 and “retains significant exterior elements associated with the period … It is a remarkable example of its period and type and should be considered a Historic Building.”
The original building is now undergoing extensive restoration and renovation in consultation with the Historic Preservation Office.
The 3,000 square foot space will provide the Library and the community with a variety of meeting rooms and a local history photo gallery as well as a kitchen and two bathrooms.
Plans call for the main meeting room to hold up to 48 people and will be used for adult programming and community events. A secondary space could be used for the library’s popular afterschool art workshops for elementary students and yoga classes for moms and toddlers and well as adults and seniors.
The Early Literacy/Story Hour Room, which will also open into an enclosed outdoor reading garden, will be used for story hours and educational interactive play for young children.
The second floor will provide library storage and office space. The $200,000 project is scheduled to receive over $100,000 in New York State Library Construction funds. The Library plans to launch a direct mail fund drive in February to raise the remaining $20,000 needed to open the Mary Helen Joint Meeting House next July.
This adaptive re-use project is “Phase One” in the library’s long-range plan to provide enhanced library services to the communities it serves.
The Mary Helen Joint Meeting House will eventually be attached to the new Benedek Memorial Library, providing approximately 6,300 square feet of community space.
The library will use both its current location at 15 McCoy St. and the Joint Meeting House until construction of the new library is completed in 2016.
The Mary Helen Joint Meeting House will be open for “in progress” tours from 1- 3 p.m. Feb. 10.
The history of a community and a family is being recognized by the Savona Free Library, which announced this week its community/library meeting building will be named the Mary Helen Joint Meeting House.
The building – the former Seager Funeral Home – was purchased by the library in 2011, and is being named in honor of Joint in recognition of her generous support of this adaptive re-use project, according to library Director Jenny Peer.
“Mary Helen Joint continues to support the community,” Peer said.
Joint is a life-long resident of Savona, with community ties back to 1869. The Joint family owned and operated the Joint Hardware Co. in Savona from1892 to1989.
Joint also owned and operated the Rocking Horse, a gift and antique store in Savona.
The Joint family has a long history of community service and philanthropy, according to library officials.
William E. Joint served on the Board of Education in 1893 when the Savona School received its first charter, and Mrs. Harry Joint was the first librarian at the Savona Free Library when it was chartered in 1923.
The Mary Helen Joint Meeting House is one of the oldest buildings in Savona. It is “an excellent example of a Late Federal-Early Greek Revival era dwelling” according to John Bonafide, Historic Preservation Services Coordinator for the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Bonafide said the house was built around 1830 and “retains significant exterior elements associated with the period … It is a remarkable example of its period and type and should be considered a Historic Building.”
The original building is now undergoing extensive restoration and renovation in consultation with the Historic Preservation Office.
The 3,000 square foot space will provide the Library and the community with a variety of meeting rooms and a local history photo gallery as well as a kitchen and two bathrooms.
Plans call for the main meeting room to hold up to 48 people and will be used for adult programming and community events. A secondary space could be used for the library’s popular afterschool art workshops for elementary students and yoga classes for moms and toddlers and well as adults and seniors.
The Early Literacy/Story Hour Room, which will also open into an enclosed outdoor reading garden, will be used for story hours and educational interactive play for young children.
The second floor will provide library storage and office space. The $200,000 project is scheduled to receive over $100,000 in New York State Library Construction funds. The Library plans to launch a direct mail fund drive in February to raise the remaining $20,000 needed to open the Mary Helen Joint Meeting House next July.
This adaptive re-use project is “Phase One” in the library’s long-range plan to provide enhanced library services to the communities it serves.
The Mary Helen Joint Meeting House will eventually be attached to the new Benedek Memorial Library, providing approximately 6,300 square feet of community space.
The library will use both its current location at 15 McCoy St. and the Joint Meeting House until construction of the new library is completed in 2016.
The Mary Helen Joint Meeting House will be open for “in progress” tours from 1- 3 p.m. Feb. 10.
