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THE HISTORY OF THE LIBRARY
BUILDING
| If you guessed, the Red Bank
Public Library building, give yourself a pat on the back. |
| The Red Bank Public Library
began as the Red Bank Mutual library in 1878. It was located in several
different buildings until 1937 when the children of Sigmund and Bertha
Eisner donated the family home on the banks of the Navesink River to the
community for use as a public library. |
| The original house was built in 1856. It’s
first owner was Stacey Pitcher. In 1876 Mr. Pitcher sold the property to
William H. Lowe who greatly enlarged it.
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| 84 West Front Street c
1910 |
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| The house, an ornate
Victorian, boasted 16 rooms and a tower which commanded a
magnificent view of the Navesink River. Mr. Lowe who was an avid swimmer,
built a concrete enclosed swimming pool on the river.
Among the later occupants of the
house was a Professor Starr who conducted an exclusive boarding
school for boys. Stories that John Phillips Souza once rented the
property have unfortunately never been confirmed.
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| Sigmund Eisner and his wife
Bertha bought the property
in 1906. The house was in a fairly run down condition at that time. The
Eisners renovated it twice, removing the tower and Victorian
woodwork. They also filled and terraced the land behind the house. |
| The main living room was
constructed in 1920, it was finished in mahogany and boasted the
first concealed heating system to be put in a Red Bank House. |
| Red Bank Public
Library c 1960 looking much as it did when the Eisners owned
it. |
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The house and property were donated to
the community for use as a library in 1937.The former Eisner home served
the people of Red Bank from 1937 until the 1960s relatively
unaltered. |
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| By the mid 60s the collection was outgrowing the
space and new technologies brought new needs.
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| In
1965, a study comparing the benefit of moving the library to a new
location versus building an addition to the Eisner Residence concluded
that building an addition was advisable.
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| The newly enlarged library reopened its
doors in 1968. It was considered a state of the art facility at
the time. It provided shelving for a much larger book and
periodical collection and larger meeting room space |
| The current renovation project
is the first major renovation since the late 60's. The goal is to insure that this
historic building continues to meet the needs of the people of Red Bank
for years to come.
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Many of the rooms in the
Eisner House which had been closed to the public have been restored and
open to the public |
| Red Bank Public Library 2004
Photo by Eric Stevenson |
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| The beautiful Eisner living
room with its ornate fireplace, ceiling and woodwork will become the home
of the library's local history collection. |
| The second floor will house part of the
adult collection and the back porch, remembered fondly by long time
residents as the ... children's reading room, will
serve as a gallery/cafe area |
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The elegant parquet floors on the main
and second floors, long hidden by carpet, and closed to the public,
have been refinished and are stunning.
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Free Wireless Internet is back. Bring your laptop or PDA
and enjoy free high speed Internet access throughout the building
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