WATERFORD — The imprint of a comb, mint green paint, and a substantially fire-damaged subfloor are part of the story behind the Waterford Library renovation during its centennial celebration year.

The building reopened to the public this week.

“History is fascinating. Half of our fun is trying to figure out why they did things certain ways,” said James Long, who along with his sons Eric and Darin Long, have just completed the renovation of the Waterford Library that was designed by Portland architect John Calvin Stevens in 1911.

The renovation included reinforcement of the main structural beam, adding insulation, constructing a small kitchen and adding heating on the second floor to provide year-round reading and meeting space, additional shelving and repairing and painting walls and ceilings.

Librarian Dorthe Hillquist said the work, which was from a 2006 master architectural plan by the Portland architectural firm of Barba & Wheelock, was funded by grants from the Davis Family Foundation and the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation to address the safety issues and give the building a face-lift for its 100th anniversary.

The total cost was $35,000, library trustee President Al Struck said. The grants covered it all, he said.

“There was a lot of stuff we didn’t expect,” Long said of the project.

He said the imprint of the comb in a fire-charred section of a subfloor was exposed during the removal of the top floor. The image was apparently caused when fire swept through the second story in 1937 burning an imprint of a comb into the floor.

The choice of mint green for the walls in 1911 is anyone’s guess, Long said. The original chandelier light fixtures are bright green glass.

The building was designed in 1911 and 1912 by Stevens, along with his son John Howard Stevens, who worked in the last half of the 19th century and first part of the 20th century first in the Shingle style, in which he was a major innovator, and later in the Colonial Revival style.

Earle Shettleworth, director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and noted authority on John Calvin Stevens, said he believes the architect may have played a role in the color scheme.

“The interior color scheme was probably a mutual decision of the client and the architect,” Shettleworth said. “Knowing how involved Stevens was in each of his commissions, I would suspect that he had input on the choice of colors.”

Stevens designed more than 1,000 buildings in Maine alone, including libraries in Rumford, Paris, Bethel and Buckfield, Sturtevant Hall in Hebron Academy and alterations to the Poland Spring House.

Stevens returned to Waterford in 1937 after a fire destroyed the adjacent Knight Store and part of the Waterford Library and other nearby buildings.

The store was where the first lending library was organized by the Ladies Sewing Circle.

Renovations to the library were made in early 1938 to reconstruct the second floor, changing the roof line dramatically from an English Cottage style to its present Colonial Revival style, Long said.

Despite the many renovations, the building contains most of its original architectural details such as the maple first floor and the massive front door that is close to 8 feet high and 4 feet wide, and the windows that are 4 feet wide and more than 6 feet tall.

Some of the original furniture is still in the library, and the original Waterford guest registrar is available.

“It’s a beautiful building,” Long said. It is part of the Waterford Flats National Historic District.

The library is open from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

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