BANGOR — The Bangor Public Library announced recently that on interior renovations has begun, although the public won’t see a huge change for the next few weeks. Work started in the basement with the installation of compact shelving. That section will remain off limits to the public since it will house special collections.
In another area of the basement, carpeting and painting work will soon begin. This will be the Library’s new “Fiction Cellar” where older fiction will be housed for the public to browse.
What the public will notice within the coming weeks is an absence of the extensive art collection. Beginning in January, the art will be put in storage until after the project is completed.
“During the interior renovation, the library wants to ensure that our priceless art collection is protected,” said Barbara McDade, director of the Bangor Public Library. “We are having professionals wrap, crate and store our collection for the duration of the construction.”
The Bangor Public Library has more than 300 pieces of art. This includes Hannibal Hamlin’s couch; a portrait of William King, the first governor of Maine; and a new gift to the library, a portrait of Jonathan Eddy, grandson of the founder of the town of Eddington.
Eddy was interested in the lumber business and moved to Bangor from Eddington. He was a man of sterling character, a dignified in person, of fine physique and of impressive presence. From his resemblance to his great-grandfather, he often was called Colonel Jonathan. He died suddenly, while walking downtown to hear the latest news of the War on Aug. 24, 1865. The Eddy family donated the portrait of Jonathan Eddy. The French Empire-style house on State Street next door to Boyd Place was the Eddy residence. The Library invites patrons and the community to see the portrait and enjoy the other pieces of the library’s art collection before it is put into storage for the renovation.
With the immediate future consumed by construction, the library encourages the public to check out the eBooks collection available online and check out the newest items available for circulation — digital microscopes and a telescope. These new additions are designed for families to enjoy together.