Allentown library lauded as model of adaptive reuse
Residents can celebrate restoration at May 22 ribbon-cutting ceremony
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

The Allentown Public Library on Main Street in Allentown won an award from the state’s Historic Preservation Office for best adaptive use. Its structure used to house the First Baptist Church. Pictured, a photograph of the recently restored building. Below, a local artist’s rendition of how the structure looked prior to restoration. A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the church’s restoration will take place on May 22 at 3 p.m.

A library that rose from a church’s ashes was honored at a ceremony on May 7.

The state Historic Preservation Office gave the Allentown Library on Main Street an award as a fine example of adaptive use. It took the Allentown Library Board nearly 15 years to restore a fire-damaged church and the neighboring parsonage.

According to information from the application for the award submitted by the Allentown Historic Preservation Review Commission (AHPRC), the building was constructed as the First Baptist Church by local contractors Elias and Benjamin Rogers in 1878. It remained a church until 1972, when a fire gutted the interior and nearly destroyed the structure. The congregation removed its stained-glass windows to use in a new church, which was built on Waker Avenue.

AHPRC Chairman Betsy Poinsett said that the building was not properly boarded up after the windows were taken out, and rain, vermin, pigeons and squirrels wreaked further havoc on the old church.

“The large church hall was blackened with smoke damage, many of the pews were badly burned, and most [pews] had been removed,” Poinsett said. “The plaster ceiling and walls, untouched by the fire, began to deteriorate with the humid conditions.”

The application reads, “Townspeople and public officials offered opinions on the best use of this site. Some felt the church and attached former parsonage should be purchased by the municipality and turned into borough offices.

“Others,” it continues, “felt this site should be demolished and turned into a parking lot, since parking is one of the major problems in this community.”

At the time of the application, the library was housed in a residence only a few doors down from the damaged church. When that house was sold, the library took on two mortgages to buy the church and the adjoining parsonage, which had not been damaged by the blaze, according to the AHPRC.

The application also notes, “With extensive efforts by volunteers, this space was prepared to receive the complete contents of the town’s library, delivered by children’s wagons in a weekend-long parade from the old to the new building.”

The library board had originally planned to convert the church hall into a library and theater, but it became evident that the site could not meet the borough code to become a theater. However, it was deemed suitable as a library, according to the AHPRC.

In 1981, the board pursued a $50,000 emergency stabilization grant, which it was able to match through extensive fund-raising efforts.

The funding helped repair the roof and a fire wall, revamp the electrical system, and upgrade the heating and air-conditioning systems. It was also used for replacing timbers in the basement with concrete lolly columns. But according to the commission, the most obvious and welcomed part of the restoration was the repair of the church windows.

The second phase of the project began in the late 1980s, after more fund-raising. Although the church’s ceiling and walls had to be replaced, according to Poinsett’s application, “colors were selected to capture the style of the room.” The church balcony was preserved.

The library was outfitted in a way that recalled the 19th century, as far as light fixtures and cherry-stained oak library shelving and furniture. The exterior restoration was not completed until last year, when the restoration architect finished his part of the project, according to the AHPRC.

“The exterior now mirrors the image of an antique postcard with the porch roof, railing and wooden porch steps,” Poinsett wrote. “The end result of the exterior restoration completed in 2004 fully complements the functional beauty of the interior of the former church adapted for reuse as a full-service library.”

Poinsett said that the Allentown Library — which has a large collection of Allentown and Upper Freehold historical reference material and genealogy — is one of the few private libraries in the state, and that more than 40 percent of the local population is library card holders.

The board spent almost $1 million restoring the church and parsonage, according to Poinsett.

“It was well worth it,” she said.

Poinsett called the library, with its high steeple, the “centerpiece of the town,” pointing out that it was seen in landscape pictures and had also appeared on the cover of magazines.

With the support of the citizens and businesses in the community, the Allentown Public Library Board has brought to realization a two-pronged vision conceived more than 30 years ago, Poinsett said.

“An old, burned-out building became a library, and a significant historic building was restored,” Poinsett said.

When considering the alternatives recommended in the early 1970s, after the fire, including razing the building to make space for a parking lot, Poinsett said the Allentown Public Library stands as an example of the very best adaptive use.

Judy Rey, president of the library’s board of trustees, called the award a “tremendous honor.”

“We’re so glad that the individuals who had the vision and the drive to create the library we enjoy today are finally getting the recognition they deserve,” Rey said.

Besides recognizing the efforts of Poinsett, Rey also acknowledged Joan Ruddiman, Roxanne Robinson and Peter Pantages as “unsung heroes of the library for decades.”

“It’s nice to have their efforts acknowledged in such a public forum,” Rey said.

Rey said the award came as the result of three private citizens who took the time to put together the application for the award.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Martha Ploshay, Betsy Poinsett and Elizabeth Roselius for all their hard work,” Rey said.

Rey said the award is a testament to what a community can do when it works together toward a common goal.

“An outpouring of support from the public throughout the 1980s generated the funds to initiate the renovation,” Rey said.

Today, Rey said the library still depends heavily on donations to pay its expenses.

“I don’t think people realize that we have to raise 80 percent of our operating budget every year,” Rey said. “We hope this award will spark some interest among newcomers to the area, as well as longtime residents.

“We would love to see more people using and supporting the library,” she said.

Rey said residents should watch their mail for the library’s annual fund-raising letter and “give generously.”

Area residents can also visit the library’s used bookstore.

“They can take home some beach reading at bargain prices,” Rey said. “They can also buy a commemorative brick for a loved one, and we’ll add it to the sidewalk in front of the library.”

Area residents can help celebrate the restoration on May 22, when the AHPRC will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the library. The event will include tea and refreshments after a brief ceremony scheduled for 3 p.m.