Fletcher Free Library - Burlington, Vermont
Posted by: 
Vermontish
N 44° 28.627 W 073° 12.630
18T E 642317 N 4926425
One of four Carnegie Libraries in Vermont
Waymark Code: WM4ZG9
Location: Vermont, United States
Date Posted: 10/18/2008
Views: 32
Established in 1873 with a grant from Mrs. Mary L. Fletcher and her daughter, Miss Mary M. Fletcher, the Fletcher Free Library had, by 1901, outgrown its space in the old City Hall. That year, Andrew Carnegie made a gift of $50,000 to build a new library, which opened for business August 17, 1904.
By the early 1970s, structural damage resulting from poor quality material used to fill a railroad ravine under the building was prompting pressure to demolish it and rebuild. A committee prevented that from happening by circulating a petition to have the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1977, an E.D.A. grant of $234,000 made stabilization and external repair of the building possible. Further fundraising allowed for additional restoration work as well as a modern addition to the building.