Carriage Barn Books

While the John Williams structure in which the Library is housed was built in the 1830s, its accompanying barn wasn’t built until 1858. It was then that William’s son-in-law, E.M. Holmes, a horse dealer, did extensive repairs on the Greek Revival house and added two outbuildings- the well-house and the barn. In 1890, 100 Albany St was purchased by Robert J Hubbard for the Cazenovia Public Library Society and the barn was used by the Library’s caretaker. In the latter half of the 20th century, the barn became the perfect storage location for the Library and the Friends of the Library Book Sale which began in 1978.  The barn continued to play an integral part in the FOL’s annual summer sale as one of three sale areas.

In 2018, under the skillful watch of Michael Walker and Expert Builders, the barn underwent extensive restoration and was transformed into the Carriage Barn Books storefront. The renovations, performed with the assistance of the Cazenovia Historic Commission and NYS Historic Preservation Office ensured that the barn’s history was preserved as a new chapter began.