HARRISON – The former Caswell Library is being renovated by owners Averill and Chris Davis of Harrison for offices, but will remain largely as it has been for nearly a century.
The one-story fieldstone building on Main Street was built in 1908 on the site of the Baptist Church, a year after the church was destroyed by a fire. Librarian Diane Jackson said Harrison native Daniel Caswell donated a sum of $1,900 for the construction of the building, which was modeled after his home in Austin, Texas. Limited space and accessibility caused the library to move to its new home last September, and adopt its new name, the Harrison Village Library.
The Davises have had ties to Harrison throughout their lives and said they were thrilled when the building went out to bid.
“I’ve been after them for a year to sell it to me,” Christine Davis said. As a child, she spent summers at her parents’ camp in Naples, and always looked forward to driving by the building. “I just had to see it when we came by.”
Averill Davis, a contractor, has been renovating the building since the couple bought it in May. He has redone the bathroom and had the septic system updated. After removing the bookshelves, he began refinishing the maple floors and high hickory wainscoting. When the floors are done, he will begin to replace the roof.
Changes to the building will be minor, though, as it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places this spring. The Davises have already shown the space to a number of potential renters, and hope to have it ready to lease within a few months.
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