South Kingstown Public Library

History of our Buildings

South Kingstown is fortunate in that each of the three library buildings are 
architecturally and historically significant.  Some of the following information
about the buildings was taken from Historic and Architectural Resources 
of South Kingstown, Rhode Island: A Preliminary Report published in 1984
by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission.  


Robert Beverly Hale Branch(1896)  This library which serves the Matunuck
 and Perryville area in South Kingstown was dedicated to the memory of 
Robert Beverly Hale.  Hale, who died at an early age, was the son of
Edward Everett Hale, a Unitarian minister and writer and author of 
The Man Without a Country.  The building is a one-story clapboard 
shingled structure, with a stone-and-brick chimney and granite foundation. 
There is a central entry with a semi-elliptical fanlight and sidelights. 
The main reading room has a fireplace and a handsome bay window with a
view of the surrounding woods.  In 1930, the Perkins Memorial Wing was added 
to the library on the west which provided a children's room that is still in
use today.  The Caroline P. Atkinson Memorial Wing was added in 1952 on the
east.  The library underwent an extensive renovation in 1991 which included
a small two-story addition at the rear of the building for a staff
office/workroom and storage space in the basement.  


Kingston Free Library Branch (1775-76)  The building presently occupied
by the library is a large two and one-half story structure with a polygonal 
belfry and roof and a large pedimented entry.  Materials used in the post and
beam construction came from local forests within a mile radius.  Originally 
built as a county court house, the building also served as one of the five 
original state houses when the General Assembly rotated its meetings between 
1776-1791.  The exterior of the building was altered in 1876 taking on a dignified
Victorian appearance.  The gable roof was replaced with a mansard style roof, 
bracketed cornices were installed, and a central pavilion and tower were 
added to the front providing a new entry, vestibule, and staircase to the 
courtroom on the second floor.  The belfry was moved from the old roof to the
top of the tower.  Contrasting colors in deep gold and dark brown were chosen
to enhance the ornamentation.  In 1895, when a new court house was built in 
West Kingston, the first floor was remodeled for library purposes and the 
court room on the second floor was converted into a meeting hall 
(Potter Hall).  In 1959, the General Assembly transferred the title of the
building to the Kingston Free Library Corporation for $1.00.  In 1974, 
the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  
The interior of the building was completely renovated in 1994.  A two-story
addition was also constructed at the rear of the building and an elevator was 
installed to provide handicapped access to Potter Hall.


Hazard Memorial Building/South Kingstown Public Library/Peace Dale(1891)
On October 9, 1891, Rowland Hazard and John Newbold Hazard gave to the town 
a living memorial "builded" in memory of their father Rowland Gibson Hazard. 
Designed by architect Frank w. Angell, the building is a massive Richardsonian
Romanesque stone building with a hip-roof and large wood-shingled section at
the rear with a louvered cupola.  It has a large arched entry; a short conical
tower at the right of the entry; a gabled section, with wood-shingled upper
part left of the entrance; straight topped windows; several small gabled and
eyebrow dormers; and two massive stone chimneys.  In addition, there is a 
porte-cochere on the east side of the building and a porch on the west side. 
The wood-shingled section was originally a large auditorium with a
stage and was actively used in the early 20th entry when the building was the
center of village life.  Above the stage is a plaster frieze representing
music called "the singing boys."  It is an exact reproduction of the original
by Renaissance artist Luca della Robbia.  The library originally occupied 
the large front room which has a balcony that goes nearly around the room.  
This room as well as others is finished almost exclusively with cypress.  
Today the Hazard Memorial Building serves as the central library for the 
South Kingstown Public Library system.  In November 1988, a major renovation
to the building was undertaken and completed in March 1990.  The renovation 
preserved the architectural integrity of the building and traditions of the
past and incorporated them into providing a contemporary library facility for
the entire community.

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