| Frederick H. Cossitt Library | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
 | |
  Show map of Connecticut Show map of the United States | |
| Location | 388 N. Granby Rd., Granby, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°59′45″N 72°49′51″W / 41.99583°N 72.83083°W / 41.99583; -72.83083 |
| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1890 (1890) |
| Built by | T. J. Greene |
| Architect | Jasper D. Sibley |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000708 |
| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1988 |
The Frederick H. Cossitt Library is a historic library building at 388 N. Granby Road in Granby, Connecticut. It is a Queen Anne style building, designed by Jasper D. Sibley and built in 1890. Construction of the library was championed by George S. Godard, later librarian of the Connecticut State Library, and was funded by a bequest from Granby native Frederick H. Cossitt, a wealthy New York businessman. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It continues to serve as a branch of the town's public library system.
Description and history
The Frederick H. Cossitt Library stands in the crossroads village of North Granby, at the southeast corner of East Street (Connecticut Route 539) and North Granby Road (Connecticut Route 189). It is a two-story wood frame structure, roughly square in plan, with a brick-faced first floor and a clapboarded second level. It is topped by a hip roof with a tall central clerestory window band. The main entrance is on the second level, sheltered by a gabled porch supported by square columns. The brickwork and trim are detailed in the Queen Anne Victorian style.
The library, the town's first, was built in 1890 to a design by Jasper D. Sibley of Middletown, and is one of the town's finest examples of Queen Anne architecture. Its construction was spearheaded by George S. Godard, who had taken a position as trustee of the town library while still studying library science at Wesleyan University, and Godard became its first librarian. He went on to have a long and successful career as the state librarian. Funding for the library was given by Frederick H. Cossitt, a wealthy New York businessman whose family ancestry extends back to Granby in the mid-18th century.
See also
- Frederick H. Cossitt Memorial Hall, Colorado Springs, Colorado, also NRHP-listed
- Memphis Public Library, Memphis, Tennessee, construction also originally funded by Frederick H. Cossitt
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford County, Connecticut
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- "Tarriffville (mentions Frederick H. Cossitt's Death)". The Hartford Courant. November 1, 1888. p. 6. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- "Mr. Cossitt's Requests. Many Public Institutions Remembered. What Relatives Get". The New York Times. October 28, 1887. p. 8. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Frederick H. Cossitt Library". National Park Service. and accompanying photos
External links
Media related to Frederick H. Cossitt Library at Wikimedia Commons
- F. H. Cossitt Public Library - Town of Granby
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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- Library buildings completed in 1890
- National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut
- Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
- Queen Anne architecture in Connecticut
- Libraries in Hartford County, Connecticut
- Public libraries in Connecticut
- Granby, Connecticut