October 18, 2024
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Crystal Lake Public Library celebrates 110th birthday, looks to future

The library is looking to add a ‘library of things’ for the future

By Michelle Meyer
Crystal Lake Public Library's first building of its own. Built in 1952 on Paddock Street (on the same site the library stands now). It was a 2,316-square-foot building and cost about $30,000 to build.

Crystal Lake Public Library's first building of its own. Built in 1952 on Paddock Street, on the same site the library stands now, it was 2,300 square feet and cost about $30,000 to build. (Photo provided by Crystal Lake Public Library)

The Crystal Lake Public Library celebrates 110 years Wednesday by sharing historical information and photos.

“We’re getting a lot of interaction from people who remember or from people that weren’t aware of that history,” Crystal Lake Public Library Executive Director Becky Fyolek said.

The library officially opened on Nov. 15, 1913, at the H.A. Dodge home on Pomeroy Avenue. Since then, the library has been moved, built and rebuilt multiple times.

“The library has a history of really weird locations and iterations in its lifetime,” Fyolek said.

The first library building didn’t come until 1952; before that, it was housed in a high school and in a heating plant for the schools. A branch library was built at West Park Beach House in 1971 and was destroyed in a fire one year later.

One of Fyolek’s favorite historical moments is when the city moved a house in 1985 to make room for the library’s expansion. The home was located farther south down McHenry Avenue and is now known as the “purple house.”

Moving the house at the corner of Paddock Street and McHenry Avenue in July 1983 while spectators watched.

To make room for a library expansion, a house at the corner of Paddock Street and McHenry Avenue was moved in July 1983. (Photo provided by Crystal Lake Public Library)

During the construction, library staff buried a time capsule by the Paddock Street entrance. The copper box holds 1980s essentials like a Cabbage Patch Kid, a Paddington Bear and an E.T. cereal box, according to a Northwest Herald article dated Jan. 25, 1985.

“After talking to several former staffers and volunteers, no one seems to know if the capsule is still in place, or if it ever was removed,” a Facebook post by the Crystal Lake Public Library said.

The library has always adapted to changes and the needs of the community, which is why Fyolek thinks it has been so successful for so long.

Looking ahead, Crystal Lake Public Library will continue to engage with the community and to evolve to fit its needs, Fyolek said. Future collaborations outside of the library with the park district and local businesses will expand their reach to meet residents where they are.

The library is also in the process of creating a “library of things” within the next year or two, Fyolek said. Residents would be able to check out everyday items like umbrellas, ice scrapers, various monitors and tools. Library staff will be looking for residents’ input on what items they would like to see in the library, she said.

The library would fund the “library of things” through grants, donations or simply by changing priorities in their current budget.

“We’re always reimagining our funds,” Fyolek said.

The Crystal Lake library celebrates its anniversary every year, but the next big celebration will probably be for its 120th anniversary, Fyolek said.

“I think we will be here for the long term,” she said.

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