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Fire Station, Library Building Faces Demolition

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EAST HARDWICK – The small fire station and library building on Main Street in East Hardwick is set to be demolished, as decided by the East Hardwick Fire District No. 1, which owns the property.

The library building on Main Street in East Hardwick will be demolished after being checked for hazardous materials.
courtesy photo

In May 2024, the fire district’s fiduciary committee unanimously voted to explore options for removing the building and considering new possibilities for the site. The East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization and the Better Connections Program, have been gathering community input on what the land could be used for in the future.

Gary Michaels, a trustee for the fire district, explained that the demolition will cost around $50,000. Before the building can be torn down, it needs to be checked for any hazardous materials, as required by the state. The Northern Vermont Development Association is covering the cost of the preliminary assessments. Their findings indicate the building is in poor condition and should be condemned. More detailed assessments will determine how hazardous materials will be handled. However, because the district doesn’t have the funds for this project (water rent money can’t be used), the district is looking into potential funding from organizations like the EPA.

The building itself is in rough shape, lacking parking, septic and water. The roof has rotted, and the foundation has collapsed. In 2019, the East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization stepped in to stabilize the building, placing a tarp over the roof and covering the broken windows to keep it from falling apart while options were explored. The organization found it wasn’t feasible to turn the building into a usable public space. The costs of making it accessible, including building a handicap-accessible restroom and parking, were simply too high. Attempts to relocate the building also fell through when no suitable site could be found.

This building, which has served the community as both a fire station and a library, was considered an “outstanding component of the historic district” in a 1989 Historic Sites and Structures Survey by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.

Built around 1910, it originally served as a fire station. It became the East Hardwick Public Library in 1955 after the Congregational Church relocated to the Jewett Chapel and needed the space previously occupied by the library. In a Hardwick Gazette article, it was reported that 35 people attended the library opening, and the building was decorated with green and black colors and new bookshelves.

The library, organized by the East Hardwick Study Club, was run by a series of volunteers, including the first librarian, Blanche Fields, and the last, Norma Wiesen. Wiesen recalls the library’s setup, where she borrowed books from the St. Johnsbury Regional Library to keep the collection fresh. The library closed its doors on February 21, 1972, and, while the fire district continued to use the building for its office and meetings, the space eventually became unusable as a public space due to accessibility issues.

Though this chapter in the village’s history is coming to a close, the community is coming together to think about what might be next for this site. By assigning the job of determining the future use of the land to the East Hardwick Community Organization, the fire district says it hopes to ensure any future plans for the site reflect the needs and wishes of the community.

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