55 Main Street
Est. 1905
$6,500 grant
My Visit: June 1, 2011
Original concrete engraved sign remains over the front entrance.
Freeport, Maine is well known as being a town of Outlet Stores The Carnegie Library now houses an Abercrombie & Fitch outlet store.
On-line I found a 2006 photo in which Abercrombie & Fitch had awnings over the windows. These have been removed, giving it a more original appearance. It has an addition also which isn’t apparent from the front view.
A Brief History of the Building
1905: A $6,500 grant from Andrew Carnegie was accepted.
1905-06: The library was built. It was named for benefactor Barnabas Henry Bartol (1816-1888), a Freeport native and accomplished engineer.
1967: Additional renovations took place.
1997: A new library was built further along Main Street, away from the downtown outlets.
I am so happy to see towns which re-purpose their Carnegie Libraries rather than demolish them when they outgrow their use as a library. Freeport, Maine is one of the few examples of one which has been converted for commercial use but, yahoo, it has been preserved!
