Established in 1931

The Kenilworth Free Public Library was established as a corporation on December 29, 1931.  The library was first opened to the public in the kindergarten room of McKinley School on March 8, 1934.  With the aid of the New Jersey Library Commission and the residents’ donations of books and periodicals, the Library started to grow.  Soon the Library was moved to new quarters in the Harding School. 

Construction of the Library

Mr. Levi W. Naylor was one of the members of the New Orange Industrial Association and Kenilworth Realty Corporation, which decided to call the town Kenilworth.   Mrs. Sadie Naylor bequeathed $30,000 to erect and furnish a library in Kenilworth in memory of her husband.  The Depression caused land values to drop, the bequest had declined in value to $6,000.  When the funds were collected, help was secured from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and the Library was erected on the Boulevard and 22nd Street.  The 1899 cornerstone from Upsala College, originally located in Kenilworth, was given to the Library.  The stone was reversed and the 1936 inscription was placed on the resurfaced outside.  The cornerstone was laid on October 12, 1936 by Mr. Herman Beck, President of the Library Board.  

Somehow the news of the erection of the Kenilworth, NJ events reached the town of Kenilworth, England and the British town sent a piece of stone from the wall of Kenilworth Castle.  With a growth in population and increasing use of the library, the Board of Trustees busied itself with learning how they might acquire funds to improve or replace the facility which was quite outgrown by the early seventies.  After many months of research, meetings with State Library officials, Municipal officers and a professional consultant, a minimum grant of $60,000 was assured to be allotted for construction.

Library Building Expansion

In 1973, a survey of the library was completed and presented to the Board of Trustees with recommendations on all levels.  The architectural recommendation was to demolish the original building and grade the property down to sidewalk level.  A new structure was to be built on the same property in harmony with the Colonial atmosphere of the Borough. When the final vote of the Council was called for, the project was defeated and the Borough lost its opportunity for a construction grant which had increased to $90,000.

The Board of Trustees was not about to submit to defeat easily.  They appealed to the Mayor and Council to keep the library in high priority status because Federal and State monies were being distributed very selectively. 

Realizing the desperate need for expansion of the library, the Mayor and several interested citizens of the community investigated the possibility of applying for Community Development Funds and through their efforts succeeded in obtaining $80,000 for the improvement of the library.  Soon after that, a Building Fund campaign was initiated in September 1978.  

Ground was broken on April 11, 1980 and the addition to the library began one week later.  More money was granted by Community Development last year and the Board of Trustees had managed to accumulate additional monies over the years which were set aside for building or expansion.  As a result, new furnishings were purchased for the addition and the original building was renovated, carpeted and wallpapered to match the new room.  A parking lot was added in the back of the building with easy access by ramp from the sidewalk and from the parking area.  A Community room at ground level was created to be used for meetings and programs, a luxury that the library never had before. The dedication of the new addition was held on June 6, 1981.