# Reed Memorial Library

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**Reed Memorial Library** is located at the junction of [US 6](/source/U.S._Route_6_in_New_York) and [NY 52](/source/New_York_State_Route_52) in [Carmel](/source/Carmel_Hamlet,_New_York), [New York](/source/New_York_(state)), [United States](/source/United_States). It is the oldest [library](/source/Library) building in [Putnam County](/source/Putnam_County,_New_York),[1] and was listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) in 1980.

It was built in 1914 by Arietta Crane Reed as a tribute to her late husband, William Belden Reed, an ardent supporter of the Literary Union of Carmel, which operates the library.[3] It is a [Tudorbethan](/source/Tudorbethan_architecture)-style building of local stone with [marble](/source/Marble) accents, and much original period furnishing inside.

## Building

The library occupies a corner lot; it takes the form of a one-story [trapezoid](/source/Trapezoid) faced in rock [quarried](/source/Quarry) around nearby [Lake Gilead](/source/Lake_Gilead). Its [slate](/source/Slate) roof has three [gables](/source/Gable); a flat-roofed section between the two in the rear curves to form a rounded rear elevation. The main entrance has double doors flanked by narrow windows in a rusticated surround with [quoined](/source/Quoin_(architecture)) corners.[1]

It opens into a small [vestibule](/source/Vestibule_(architecture)) of tile with marble trim. Behind it is an oval lobby [paneled](/source/Panelling) in [oak](/source/Oak). A [colonnade](/source/Colonnade) separates it from the reading rooms and stacks in the rounded rear section. The [fireplace](/source/Fireplace) in the main reading room has a [mantel](/source/Fireplace_mantel) carved in the shape of [monks](/source/Monk)' heads; the one in the children's reading room is a more restrained, standard [Gothic Revival](/source/Gothic_Revival) style.[1]

## History

Carmel had had a library since 1868, when the Carmel Library Association was formed. Its 900 volumes were first in a member's home, then a local church. This made using it difficult, so in 1881 the Literary Union of Carmel was formed to take control. They housed the books first in homes and later on the second story of a local office building.[1]

In 1911 that space was expanded, but the library's collection was growing fast enough that it needed its own space. Two members donated the land; Arietta Crane Reed donated the money for the building in memory of her late husband, an executive with the New York City construction company Miller-Reed.[1]

The New York firm of Pryor & Gaylor was commissioned to design a building that could not only serve as a library but a community meeting place. The irregularly-shaped structure accomplished both goals. Reed's company did the structural work; a local firm handled the [masonry](/source/Stonemasonry). Ground was broken in November 1913 and the building was opened and dedicated seven months later, at a total cost of US$45,000 ($ 2008 USD)). It has remained intact, without any alterations, ever since.[1]

## Aesthetics

The library is the only significant Tudorbethan building in the Carmel area. While there are some [Gothic Revival](/source/Gothic_Revival) touches on the interior like the mantel in the children's reading room, the bulk of the interior shows the strong influence of the related, contemporary [Arts and Crafts](/source/Arts_and_Crafts_Movement#United_States) style, which was upholding simpler Tudorbethan buildings as an alternative to the architectural flourishes and ornament of the later [Victorian](/source/Victorian_architecture) era.[1]

## See also

- [Mid-Hudson Library System](/source/Mid-Hudson_Library_System)

## References

1. Jessica Kemm and J. Corwin Sharp (1980-01-16). [*National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Reed Memorial Library*](https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321046) (none). National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 20, 2025. ()

1. ["About the library"](http://reed.carmel.lib.ny.us/2.htm#about). Reed Memorial Library. Retrieved 2008-08-06.

## External links

- [Reed Memorial Library](http://www.carmellibrary.org/) website

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Reed Memorial Library](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Memorial_Library) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Memorial_Library?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.