Maryville Library hopes to raise $200,000 for window restoration

By Kendra Simpson

The Maryville Public Library is asking for the community’s help to restore the building’s historic windows and door frames.

The building was constructed in 1912 at Fifth and Main streets. Its original wood for the windows and door frames has rotted and deteriorated over time and requires restoration.

Scott Kuhlemeyer an architect, Northwest Missouri State University’s Capital Programs Director, a library trustee and chair of the Library’s Building and Grounds Committee, emphasized the importance of the windows and restoring them correctly.

“Windows and doors are key contributing members to the historic value and significance of this building,” Kuhlemeyer said. “They not only illustrate the visual aesthetic of the design, but they also showcase the skills and craftsmanship of those carpenters from centuries past.”

The New Jersey-based Bolger Foundation awarded the library a $50,000 grant to jump-start the restoration process on the condition the library raise at least an additional $200,000 within the next year.

The library hopes to raise the money in enough time to save the building’s original architecture and maintain its worth as a Main Street asset.

The community can help with the restoration of the library by writing a check made out to the Second Century Library Fund Foundation at 509 N. Main St., Maryville, MO 64468. Donations also can be made online at the library’s website maryvillepubliclibrary.lib.mo.us. Those with questions can reach out to Library Director Stephanie Patterson at 660-582-5281.