Holland Library

Holland Library
The Holland Library in Alexandria Bay was built in 1899. The structure replaced an earlier library, which had burned. The library was built of stone in the Romanesque style.

The original Holland Library was founded and built by Dr. Josiah Holland, who was a noted physician and author who was a seasonal resident of Alexandria Bay. The Library was housed in the Westcott Block, which burned down in 1894. After the fire, a campaign for a new library began, and a site on Market Street, purchased by George Boldt, who donated the site to the library, was chosen.

Over the years, the collection of the library grew enormously, and space to house it became a problem. In 1970, the library received an endowment from the estate of Ruth Gokey. The library used the endowment to purchase her house, which sat next to the library. A covered walkway was built between the two buildings. The main building was used to house the library's collection of children's books, while adult fare was placed in the Gokey house.

The library moved to a modern facility in 1998, and the Holland Library building on Market Street became the home of the Alexandria Bay Chamber of Commerce. The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.