Heginbotham Library receives grants, houses unanswered questions

Interesting things are happening at Heginbotham Library. It was recently awarded two grants, an application for a third grant is upcoming, and a little light has been shed on some historical and architectural mysteries in the building.

The library was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Colorado Garden Foundation for landscaping at the library and a $10,000 grant from the State Historical Fund for a comprehensive assessment of the building.

Heginbotham Library director Kathy Bornhoft said there used to be a rose garden and a large vegetable garden on the property when William E. Heginbotham lived there, but the grant will be used to put in plants that do better in this area and don’t require the amount of water and upkeep as Heginbotham’s gardens did.

Bornhoft said the grant from the State Historical Fund is to help maintain buildings, like Heginbotham Library, that are on the National Register of Historic Places.

The assessment was completed in mid-December. A State Historical Fund architect spent three days measuring the whole building and the lot. It was discovered not only that the porch is concerning but a secret room was also found in the northeast corner of the building in the basement. Additionally, a tunnel starts at the secret room and runs east to the carriage house.

Bornhoft said she’s not sure what the secret room or the tunnel were used for, but the tunnel has room for someone to stand up inside it. She said a concrete floor had to be put in inside the carriage house in the past so that part of the tunnel is filled in, but the assessment team snaked the tunnel and found out the rest of it is open. They could also see electrical wiring in the tunnel.

Bornhoft said the section of the building that has the secret room was likely added later than the initial construction since there’s an exterior window inside the southeast corner of the building itself. She added that they would like to try to open up the tunnel and the room, if possible, if future teams come to work on the building.

The assessment found that the porch’s support beams are black and eroding, and it was suggested after the assessment to put in steel beams for support. Bornhoft said they’re working with the city to hire someone for that project.

She noted that having the building on the National Register of Historic Places typically means that everything from contractors to materials must be approved by the State Historical Fund. However, foundational repair can be locally done since it’s not part of visible restoration. Outside brick work or plaster and carpentry work inside must be done by an approved contractor.

Bornhoft said that the State Historical Fund noted that entities in northeast Colorado rarely apply for funding, adding that they want to be sure to spread out the funding across the whole state.

The architect worked with City Superintendent Mark Brown during the assessment, and Bornhoft said she learned a lot about the building.

She said the building was constructed in 1919 using hand tools, and during the assessment they discovered the carpenters involved in building it had written their names on the wood in the attic.

A larger grant application is due Aug. 31, which the library board will apply for. Funds from that would be used for fixing what the assessment team said needs to be addressed, since the full findings of the assessment have not been released yet.

Bornhoft said she is most looking forward to having the structure sound again so it can stand another 100 years.

“It’s not going to be easy, but it has to be done,” she said, adding that the goal is to keep the library open during any construction based on the assessment team’s findings.

“I’m really looking forward to the community’s support in helping us get this grant,” she said. She noted that the library will be competing for funds against universities that have teams of grant writers but added, “I think our chances are good.”

People are invited to send letters of support about what the library means to them and highlight the things they enjoy about the library. Bornhoft said the letters will be submitted with the grant application, and they will help people who aren’t from Holyoke better understand what the library means to the community.

“We’re a small community, but we come forward,” Bornhoft said. Letters of support can be mailed to or dropped off at Heginbotham Library at 539 S. Baxter Ave. in Holyoke.