"We are readying (the library) for the next 125 years of its history as a historically protected but modern library," director Christopher Leary told the Times Union in April. The building at 1 Franklin Street has three stories, and the public has never had full use of them.
The plan behind the 125th anniversary moves people around inside the building. Staff go up to a new level built between floors. Children's programs move out of a historic room and into a new wing. The public gets a top floor with mountain views, plus a step-free way to reach it. The October 24 party is the first time most patrons will see that plan laid out in one place.
A cornerstone date, and a party with the books closed
The celebration marks 125 years since the cornerstone was laid on October 24, 1901. It runs Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free. The library says regular services will be closed that day, though the doors will be open for the event. Anyone who usually drops off returns on a Saturday will need to plan around it.
The lineup, as the library has announced it:
- Local artist Jim Ebersole unveils a new oil painting of the library
- Greene County Historian Jonathan Palmer and local historian Ted Hilscher give a slideshow talk on Catskill in the early 1900s and the library's history
- The Catskill Mountain String Band plays live
- Lunch bites from Gracie's and dessert bites from Banana Moon Baking
- Library history displays next to CPL125 construction displays
- A kids' activity area and party favors while supplies last
The library hasn't posted exact times for the history talk or the band yet. The giveaway that will last longest is a limited-edition library card printed with Ebersole's portrait of the building. Pickup starts at the event, and you can reserve one through the library's registration form.
A standard Carnegie plan that kept the public on one level
The library traces its founding to 1893 and has occupied its neoclassical Carnegie building since the 1901 grant era. A 1915 Greene County history says the building went up in 1902 at Franklin and Bridge Streets for about $30,000. According to the East Side Historic District nomination, it was one of the last buildings by George W. Halcott's firm of Worcester, Massachusetts, and was designed to Carnegie's standard plan for a medium-sized library. That's where the mock-Palladian window and the classical columns at the entrance come from.
A standard plan from 1901 wasn't drawn for elevators or for the way a library is used today. Leary told the Times Union that the upgrades would make the building ADA-compliant for the first time in its history. The library's project narrative adds that the first phase would open all three stories to public use. That's the starting point for everything below. Each room change in the plan depends on the elevator going in first.
Who moves where
The details come from the library's planning narrative and Leary's interview with the Times Union. Read the right-hand column as plans, since none of it is built yet.
| Space | Today | Under the CPL125 plan |
|---|---|---|
| Third floor | Staff rooms | Public reading, study and conference rooms with views of the Catskills |
| Staff offices | Third floor | A new subfloor between the second and third floors |
| Children's and youth center | First floor, in the former community room | A new children's wing where the old boiler now sits |
| Original Carnegie community room | Used by the children's center | Refurbished for community events |
| Outdoor space | Limited | A sunken garden and a patio under a linden tree |
| Getting between floors | Stairs | An elevator tower and an accessible walkway |
The narrative also includes a ground-floor ADA restroom, a fire-rated corridor, a basement-to-grade egress stair, glass-walled quiet rooms, a Young Adult Room, skylights, roof work, and a switch to an electric boiler with a new air-handling layout.
The outdoor piece has a uniquely Catskill detail. Leary told the Times Union that the sunken garden off the new children's wing would connect to one of Catskill's historic slides, the old streets that link Main Street to the streets above it. A library entered from Franklin Street would then have a garden opening onto one of the village's oldest shortcuts.
The money in hand covers most of the job
In his May 20, 2026 report, Leary listed three awards for "CPL: The Next 125 Years":
- $1,000,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds, awarded to the Village of Catskill for the library's ADA improvements
- $1,469,000 from the village's Downtown Revitalization Initiative award
- $160,000 in State Aid for Library Construction
That adds up to $2,629,000. Leary told the Times Union in April that the first two phases were expected to cost about $3 million. A Carnegie Libraries Across America profile submitted by Leary puts the full project at "more than $3 million" and names library reserves, more fundraising and other sources to cover the rest. The same May report says the library was looking for cash flow and bridge financing for Phase 2.
The library's grant is one of ten projects in the $9.7 million Catskill slate that Governor Hochul's office announced on May 8, 2026. The state describes it as work on accessibility, safety, building systems and program space that keeps the building's architectural character intact. The same slate includes $1,588,000 for Bridge Street Theatre and $455,000 to turn 104 Water Street into a creative hub anchored by Cone Zero Ceramics. Of the downtown projects, the library is the one most likely to be used by people who never go to a show.
What the latest documents say, and what they leave open
The most recent public record shows a project still in design. On June 17, 2026, the board voted "to engage TRW Architects, subject to both parties agreeing to an acceptable contract." The July 15 director's report said the library expected "to have contracts in place soon for Phase 1." By August 19, the report said "Design Development is underway and a new draft submitted," following walkthroughs with TRW. The August trustee agenda included an "Elevator Discussion."
The schedule has also changed since the plan was first written. The 2025 narrative set out three phases: accessibility and life safety in 2026, infrastructure and interior work in 2027, and community and youth spaces in 2028. At a special meeting on May 27, 2026, the board chose to run the phases independently, which leaves up to five years for construction and completion. The 2026–2028 sequence is best treated as the original plan, not a timetable.
Patrons will most want to know about closures, and that hasn't been announced. The documents reviewed for this post give no construction start date and no closure schedule, and they name no temporary location. The narrative calls for temporary service-desk moves during Phase 2 to support "uninterrupted service." It doesn't say the building will stay open for the whole project. The Palenville Branch at 144 Malden Ave. is the system's other location, but it hasn't been named as a stand-in during construction. As of mid-September, the library's online board-report pages listed June as the newest minutes. The September and October director's report slots were still empty. The construction displays on October 24 are the best place to ask.
Until work starts, both branches keep their posted hours:
- Catskill, 1 Franklin Street: Monday and Friday 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sunday
- Palenville, 144 Malden Ave.: Monday 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday and Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday 3 to 7 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Sunday
For the latest updates, call the library at (518) 943-4230 or check catskillpubliclibrary.org.
At CENTURY 21 New West Properties, we follow projects like CPL125 because they change the day-to-day life of the village around Franklin and Bridge Streets, as much as any listing does. If you own a home near the library or elsewhere in the village and want a clear read on where it stands while downtown projects like this one move forward, Natasha Witka and our team can help. Request a Free Property Valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
