1975-present day
Disaster struck in January 1975, when the interior of the Rosendale Library and most of its collection was destroyed by fire. A small temporary library was set up on the second floor of the Fireman’s Hall on Main Street while funds were raised to rebuild the chapel. Enough money was raised to not only repair the building but also to add a new wing on the north side of the chapel that now functions as the children’s room and office space.
Local mason Bruce Pederson, 23 years old at the time, is credited with doing the difficult job of matching the new work with the old stone and masonry. A slate roof was put on the addition.
The construction took three years, during which time the rear wall of the building collapsed, destroying a large stained-glass window with a decorative rose motif that was to be featured in the remodeled building.
The Rosendale Library acquired its first certified librarian, Wendy Alexander, in 1977, enabling the library to receive its absolute charter from the state Board of Regents. Alexander is still with the library today as its director. The restored library was rededicated in July 1977. The children’s room is named for Anna Mae Auchmoedy.
The All Saints Chapel/Rosendale Library was placed on both the state and national Registers of Historic Places in 1986. The building was awarded the designation for its architectural significance and its “unusual and interesting materials,” according to Tantillo. She describes the structure as blending local limestone — originally a blue-gray color now oxidized to a soft russet — with local rubble stone and Rosendale cement.
Locally made bricks form the window arches and the slate roof patterned with scallops and flowers “indicates its early English Gothic Revival style.” The chapel, which originally cost $2000 to build, measured approximately 20 by 40 feet at the time and could seat 150 people. The ceiling, with its “scissor” beams, rises to a peak at more than 20 feet high.
Rosendale Library became a special district public library in 1987 after residents voted in the change, which gives the public a greater voice in how the library is run. The library is part of the Mid-Hudson Library System.
New technology came in 1988 with public computers. Free Internet was established in 1997. Bar-coded books and patron Fastcards expanded library services in 2001.
With the help of a State Education Department grant and community fundraising, the Rosendale Library celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008 by replacing the 132-year-old slate roof. The original design was recreated authentically using the same materials.
These days the Rosendale Library is looking to the future, says Tantillo. Through assistance from a Gates Foundation grant, new public-access computers and printers will be installed over the next two years. Election of the library trustees and the budget vote take place on the first Thursday of September. The volunteer Friends of the Rosendale Library meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month. The library maintains a full schedule of events and activities including concerts and lectures, author talks and book signings, an ongoing book sale and a summer reading program for kids.
Rosendale Library is located at 264 Main Street in Rosendale. More information is available at 658-9013 or www.rosendalelibrary.org.
This is the fourth installment in a five-part series featuring the history of local libraries. Next week, the spotlight will be on the Stone Ridge Library.
