The town green reading area of Fairfield’s new children’s library is flanked by the book store and the town hall media/computer room
Connecticut's Library Heritage
Fairfield Memorial Library first opened its doors on December 27, 1876 in the Fairfield Academy, a local private school. Spearheaded by Morris W. Lyons, a teacher and library visionary, the organization saw its collection grow to 677 volumes with 81 “subscribers” borrowing 1,483 books within its first years of operation.
In 1897 the Library Board, in response to the increasing size of the collection and its burgeoning use by residents, established a Building and Site Fund. By 1899 the library had acquired a site at its current 1080 Old Post Road location and was ready for construction pending the conclusion of its fundraising campaign.
C.T. Beardsley, Jr. of Bridgeport was chosen as the architect. Initially, a Romanesque design was selected, but the Library Board rejected this in favor of a colonial style felt to be more in keeping with Fairfield and its historic past. A two-story building with three floors of stacks was proposed so that additions could be easily integrated into the facility in years to come.
Construction began in 1902, culminating in the dedication of the new library on June 11, 1903. Noted Yale professor William Lyon Phelps declared, “The library…will be thoroughly appreciated… by being used, and a spirit of freedom will dominate the management of this library; no books will be tabooed…” In 1929, Norman Isham, a noted Rhode Island architect, designed a new wing for the now cramped and overcrowded library. This addition was completed in 1936, introducing substantial new space that was then loaned to the Fairfield Historical Society for its operations. The society utilized this space until 1955 when it moved to its own facility.
Another construction project was undertaken in 1929 with the erection of an office building adjacent to the new addition. This facility, owned by the library, was intended to generate rental income for the library, as public funding was limited.
By the end of World War II, the library was encountering a variety of challenges to its future success. Office space was inadequate, seating was tight, and the book collection was straining the confines of the building and was unable to appropriately serve student and adult research needs. The library lacked recordings and films as well as programming for children and adults, and funding was inadequate to properly run a library for a town the size of Fairfield. In response to these conditions, the Library Board engaged a consultant in 1946 to study the library’s condition and recommend a plan of action. His plan included eight forward thinking and thoughtful recommendations to rectify the library’s problems. Of these, the most revolutionary was the proposal to merge and reorganize the Fairfield Memorial Library, Stratfield Library Association and the Pequot Library, all local and independent libraries, into a municipal library fully funded with tax dollars.
After many years of negotiation between the Town of Fairfield and the Library Board, a Special Act of the General Assembly was enacted on July 16, 1949, amending the Fairfield Town Charter to allow for the creation of a municipal library. Fairfield Public Library, composed of Fairfield Memorial Library and the Stratfield Library Association, formally began operations on June 23, 1950. The Pequot Library chose to remain independent.
Another enhancement to the library’s physical plant related to the gradual adaptation of its office building for use as a children’s library and staff office space. Begun in 1953, this lengthy process was only completed in 1970 due to issues relating to long-term tenant leases. In 1959, a sizable addition was attached to the original 1903 library building, allowing it to continue to grow in relation to the growth of the town.
In 1978, the library embarked on yet another building project, once again in response to lack of space for the staff and public. This effort nearly doubled the size of the library—to 52,000 sq. ft.—featuring a large addition as well as a renovation of the existing facility and the office building, which was integrated into the building complex.
As the library’s centennial grew near, it was obvious that yet another expansion and renovation was necessary. Problems relating to overcrowding of materials and staff, aging infrastructure, and changing programmatic needs drove this decision. Community support for this expensive project was never in doubt as the funding request, once fully engaged, sailed through the political process in near unanimity.
Construction began in 2004 and was completed 13 months later. On July 11, 2005, the library reopened to critical acclaim from the community and the media. Since then, people have flocked to the library in unprecedented numbers to use the variety of resources available in the facility as well as to tour the space.
Features of this expansion and renovation include:
Fairfield Public Library is now poised to greet the future with a beautiful, functional and welcoming state of the art facility. Its mission to promote reading and serve the people of Fairfield as a center for lifetime learning and a community hub now seems well assured.
Reported by: Tom Geoffino, Fairfield Public Library Director