Senate Resolution No. 1654
BY: Senator MAYER
COMMEMORATING the 150th Anniversary of the Port
Chester-Rye Brook Public Library
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those organizations of high purpose and worthy
accomplishment whose endeavors have faithfully served the welfare of the
citizens of the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public
Library; and
WHEREAS, In 1876, the Port Chester Free Reading Room was founded,
first housed in the Brundage Building on Main Street in Port Chester,
New York; Jared Valentine Peck (1816-1891), a wealthy Port Chester
lumber and building supplies dealer, who also served in the New York
State Assembly and, ultimately, as a Representative to the United States
Congress, donated the three-story building to the newly formed library;
and
WHEREAS, The Brundage Building housed Lambert's Dry Goods Store on
its first level, the library on the middle floor, and the Mamaro Lodge
of Masons on the top floor; the income from the rents of the first and
third floors supported the library during these first years; and
WHEREAS, On April 14, 1877, the library was incorporated as "The
Library and Reading Room of the Village of Port Chester"; the first
trustees were prominent Port Chester businessmen and clergy, led by
Amherst Wight, a lawyer from Port Chester; and
WHEREAS, In 1920, the estate of Captain William Dixon Burnham
granted a $60,000 bequest to the library; the trustees decided to sell
the Brundage Building and use the additional funds to build a new
library; the Village of Port Chester supplied the library's operating
budget, and the new name was Port Chester Public Library; and
WHEREAS, Construction of the new library commenced in 1925, and the
dedication was celebrated on June 26, 1926; and
WHEREAS, By the 1960s, the library needed to expand to improve its
service to the community; John W. Diehl, a member of the library's Board
of Trustees, served as Board President until his death in 1944; and
WHEREAS, In 1963, a $270,000 portion of John W. Diehl's estate was
left to the library, providing the funds for a new addition, dedicated
to his memory, which increased the floor space by 9,000 square feet; and
WHEREAS, In 2008, the Villages of Port Chester and Rye Brook entered
into an inter-municipal agreement to fund the library's operating and
capital budgets; in 2012, the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library
completed a major renovation, funded by yet another bequest from Port
Chester residents, the late Douglas and Elise Lefferts; and
WHEREAS, The success of the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library is
in direct correlation to the efforts of its members, whose involvement
is, and always has been, characterized by an impressive commitment,
unbridled enthusiasm, and uncompromising standard of excellence in all
endeavors; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
individuals and organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are
brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by
all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public
Library; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library.
