HOLDEN — Looking through the windows of the Gale Free Library, one can see books and other media, as well as active programs for the young as well as the more mature.
But the windows, original to the 1888 Damon Memorial building, are showing the effects of time, including many hot summers and cold winters as generations of residents turned to the library as a community treasure.
The Friends of Gale Free Library’s “Windows of Opportunity” campaign is raising funds to mitigate those effects with a complete restoration and repair of the 60 exterior windows. The Friends are working to raise $200,000 toward the estimated $1 million needed for the project.
What the Friends do not raise, and what cannot be covered by grants, voters will be asked to appropriate.
“So far, (the campaign) has raised close to $100,000, so I would judge it an outstanding success to date,” according to Richard Maurer, chair of the library trustees.
Upcoming campaign programs include an online auction running from April 17 through April 27. On April 27, the tone turns festive, with a gala to be held at Val’s Restaurant from 6 to 9 p.m.
The events continue the ongoing fundraising.
“We started last summer with information tables at several town events,” campaign co-chair Penny Morgan of Holden said. “To kick off the fundraising, we held a ‘Town Takeover’ day at a WooSox game on Aug. 30, and then Seven Saws Brewing in Holden sponsored a ‘Drink Well—Do Good Event.’
“Throughout the fall,” co-chair Pat Korandanis said, “we have been soliciting sponsorships, collecting items for the auction, and planning the gala. So you could say we are reaching the thrilling apex of our efforts.”
The windows on the south side of the building get the most punishment from weather and sun, Maurer said, but “all 60 exterior windows in the 1888 Damon Memorial building housing GFL are original, which means they’ve lasted 136 years with periodic maintenance (scraping, repainting and reglazing). This is one argument for restoring them, rather than replacing them with modern materials, which would last decades rather than a century-plus.”
Although modern windows are energy efficient, Maurer said that “properly restored wooden windows, especially when combined with storm windows or other energy-saving treatments, can perform comparably to new windows in terms of insulation and energy conservation.”
Noting the current conditions of the windows, Maurer said that “there is air infiltration around many of the windows, which increases HVAC costs to the library. There is some evidence of water infiltration, and we are worried about potential damage that can’t be seen, which will become evident when the windows are removed. Anyone who has an old house knows that the longer a problem like this is put off, the more expensive it is to fix.”
One factor in restoring them is that the library is in Holden’s Historic District, and therefore subject to the regulations of the Holden Historic District Commission.
“They rightly insist that one of Worcester County’s most historic buildings retain its historic character as nearly as possible. Since the Damon Memorial was built as a library, reading room, and high school in the era before electric lights, it has many large windows to let in daylight. The architect, Stephen C. Earle, beautifully integrated these into his Romanesque Revival design for the building, inspired by the late medieval architecture in Europe,” Maurer said.
Auction items
The online auction will be hosted at 32auctions.com/fgfl, with the site opening for preview on April 12.
Auction items include: stained glass; handmade quilts; photography; sports, drama, and concert tickets; class events in chocolate making, scone baking, and pasta making; restaurant certificates; a luncheon with Holden Town Manager Peter Lukes, and one with U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern; gift baskets; walks with goats; gift cards for heating oil, mulch, and paint supplies; dog items; car care; and more. Auction donors are being featured individually at facebook/fgfl.com.
The Windows of Opportunity Gala at Val’s Restaurant will include live music (The Carlos Odria Trio, a “high-energy fusion ensemble” performing Latin American popular music), appetizers and desserts, door prizes drawn every half hour, and a display of arts and crafts items up for bid. A cash bar will be available.
Sponsors and volunteers will be recognized at the gala, along with the history of the library, which organizers referred to as “one of the most noteworthy buildings in Central Massachusetts.”
Tickets for the Windows of Opportunity Gala are $100 and are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gale-free-library-windows-of-opportunity-gala-tickets-791323428677?aff=oddtdtcreator.
