Connecticut's Library Heritage
The Oakville Library Association was founded in 1914 with 28 original members who supplemented a $50 town contribution in order to purchase books. The association found a home for the library in the basement of the Union Congregational Church and formally opened it in March 1915. In April 1923 the library was moved to South School, where it remained until 1969.
On December 17, 1969, as the result of an agreement with the Watertown Town Council, the Oakville Library Association merged with the Watertown Library Association, becoming a branch of the Watertown Library Association, which was established by an Act of the Legislature in 1865. Conditions of the merger called for the establishment of a permanent library facility in the Oakville section of town and service hours of no less than 20 hours a week.
As agreed, the town purchased a tract of land at 55 Davis Street for the purpose of building a permanent library facility in Oakville, giving the deed to the Watertown Library Association. While the new building, designed by the Waterbury firm of Nicholas and Alexander, was under construction, the branch was housed in a storefront located on the property.
In June 1971, the Watertown Library Association opened the Oakville Branch Library to the public. The new building was rectangular, of contemporary design with brick walls, a flat roof, a four-foot bronze-colored overhang, and a 26-foot area of floor to ceiling glass windows framing the front entrance. The main floor occupied 2048 square feet, and the basement housed a meeting room of equal size.
Thirty years later the building was showing its age and needed to be revitalized. The roof had to be replaced, as did the HVAC system. The facility was neither handicapped accessible nor code compliant. On the advice of our insurance company, the basement meeting room had been closed to the public for seven years.
The Watertown Library Association Board decided on a major renovation. To do so, they would tap their endowment fund, apply for a construction grant, write to local foundations, service clubs and businesses, and make an appeal to the general public. The response was gratifying; a total of $995,759 was raised, including a State Library construction grant of $148, 666.
As the building was to be gutted the branch was, once again, temporarily moved to a storefront-this time on Main Street in Oakville. The move took place on June 28, 2001, and the branch reopened for business as usual on July 2, 2002.
Renovations to the Davis Street building were significant. Although the footprint of the building did not change substantially, a pitched roof, a new main entrance-now dramatically visible, the addition of more glass, landscaped grounds, and two parking lots make the building appear much larger. The entire building is accessible to all and code compliant.
The meeting room and core library were redesigned, resulting in a more efficient use of existing space. Natural light flows into both rooms, while the sage green hues and dark wood finishes used throughout the building echo the furnishings and color scheme used at the main library.
A semi-circular circulation desk is the focal point of the core library, with the adult section on its left and children's services to the right. Public access computers provide Internet and catalog access. On view outside the windows in the children's area is a picturesque arched stone railroad bridge, built in the late 1800's.
The enlarged vestibule houses the Lula elevator and stairwell, which go directly to lower level rest rooms and the meeting room. Glass doors in the meeting room lead to an exterior patio, and a kitchenette suitable for serving light refreshments is available. The room is wired for modern technologies including a sound system with infrared hearing assist. The staff has direct access to this room via a stairway from their upstairs work area.
The meeting room is in great demand. In addition to library programming there are, on average, 35 meetings scheduled there each month. Among those who book the room are the Watertown Oakville Taxpayers Association, the Democratic Town Committee, the Republican Town Committee, the Gold Circle of Sports Board, boards of various youth sports leagues, the Town Manager's Long Range Planning Group, and the Town Recreation Department.
On June 27, 2002, just one year from when the project began, the Oakville Library returned to Davis Street. The move was accomplished with the help of Boy Scout Troup 52 under the direction of an Eagle Scout candidate. The renovated branch opened for service on July 2, 2002.