National Register Listing

Goss, Ossian Wilbur, Reading Room

188 Elm St., Laconia, NH

The Ossian Wilbur Goss Reading Room is significant architecturally as an attractive small library building and as an interesting example of early 20th-century architecture.

About 1890. a citizens group established a public library in Lakeport, then a village in the town of Gilford. In 1893, when Lakeport was annexed to the new city of Laconia, the Lakeport Library became a branch of the Laconia Public Library. This Lakeport branch was housed in rented quarters, never having a separate building of its own. Therefore, when the Gale Memorial Library was opened in downtown Laconia in early June 1903, the books of the Lakeport branch were moved to the new city library and merged into the main library collection. A system for exchanging library books at a Lakeport store was subsequently established. But Lakeport no longer had a library of its own, with a reading room for the use and pleasure of its residents. To Dr. Ossian Wilbur Goss of Lakeport, this was apparently a significant loss.

Dr. Goss and Lakeport suffered another major loss on May 26, 1903, just two weeks before the closing of the Lakeport library, when a catastrophic fire destroyed a large section of Lakeport. Among the 108 dwellings lost was the Goss family home at the corner of Elm and Franklin Streets. Dr. Goss soon made plans for building an elegant residence" -, a brick Colonial-style house, at this prominent site. But, as his will, signed September 16, 1903, reveals, his plans for the future of the new house were unusual. Dr. Goss had no natural heirs, his wife, and only child having died some years before. In his will, after leaving small bequests to friends, relatives, and local charities, he directed that the remainder of his estate be turned over to three trustees who were instructed "to invest the same and use the income only in furnishing, equipping and maintaining, in the homestead house about to be erected by me in said Lakeport, suitable Reading Parlors for the use and enjoyment of the general public of Lakeport, to be forever known as 'The Ossian Wilbur Goss Reading Rooms.' "The reading rooms were "to be kept open at all seasonable hours" and "to be provided with all the latest magazines and at least three daily papers". Then in a foreboding clause, the physician stated that, "if, for any reason, I have not erected my homestead house at the time of my decease, then... I also give the said trustees full power out of the remainder of my property to erect a substantial building, at a cost not to exceed Eight Thousand Dollars" for the Reading Rooms, with "the income of whatever remains after erecting such a building... to be expended" for its maintenance and operation. On October 8, just three weeks after signing the will, Dr. Goss died of Bright's Disease at the age of 47, with his dream of a new residence still unfulfilled.

The settling of the Goss estate required some time and the construction of the Goss Reading Room took even longer than expected. In November of 1904, the local newspapers announced that the trustees hoped to have the plans for the new building ready by spring and to begin construction at that time. For the plans, the trustees turned to the Boston architectural firm of Adden and Parker. Willard P. Adden was already known in Laconia for his design of the Congregational Church at Veterans (then Depot) Square, on which construction began in April 1905. So he was a natural choice for the new Lakeport building. It is not clear when the architects were actually hired, but the plans were not completed until the late summer of 1905. In late August, the trustees traveled to Boston to review the plans and specifications. In late September, the Laconia News and Critic noted that the final plans were "expected from the architect this week" and that it was "the intention of the trustees to have the building erected this fall". In early October, the Laconia papers reported that the contract for the building had been awarded to Lakeport builder Orvis T. Muzzey and that work had begun on the foundation. By the end of December, it could be reported that the exterior was nearing completion. In early January, the slaters were said to be about to begin work on the roof. But, no further reports appear in the newspapers until July, when it was noted that "the interior of the Ossian Wilbur Goss reading room is being finished". It is uncertain when the building was actually completed, or what was the final cost of the structure. The first formal report of the trustees, made in 1909, apparently combines construction and operating costs, making it difficult to determine the exact cost. An estimate based on this report would place the construction cost between $6000 and $7000. Finally, on April 8, 1907, the Goss Reading Room was opened to the public without ceremony. Although the newspapers of the time clearly note an intention to operate a branch of the Laconia Public Library in the new building, it was not until February 18, 1909, that the Goss trustees actually petitioned for the establishment of the branch library. On March 1, the trustees of the city library agreed. A week later on March 8, the branch library was in operation in the Lakeport building. Since then, the Goss Reading Room has been run by the Laconia Public Library, with financial assistance from the Goss trustees, who still own the property and administer the Goss trust funds.

Changes to the building since its construction have been fairly limited. The exterior has seen the most important change. Apparently, the vestibule was originally an open entry porch but was later enclosed by the addition of a door and sidelights on the front and of windows behind the balusters in the side openings. The rear basement entry, originally an open below-grade stairway and well, was covered by low roofs in the winter of 1972-73. But, aside from a modern light mounted above the main door, no other changes seem to have been made to the exterior. The interior is even less changed. Modern carpeting was laid in 1972. Modern light fixtures have been installed, as has a wall-mounted water fountain in the hall. Some additional bookcases have appeared, particularly in the children's room, which, according to the newspapers at the time of the construction, was planned as "a waiting room or parlor where the weary may have the opportunity for rest and sociability" and seems to have acquired its present function at a later period. Despite these changes, practically all of the original features of the interior and the exterior survive intact.

In 1905, as the exterior of the Goss Reading Room was nearing completion, a Laconia newspaper noted that "the building presents a more modest front than was expected by many".? And, indeed, the small library is a modest building, probably due to the financial constraints under which the trustees and the architect had to operate. The available funds only allowed the construction of a small building, with little money left over for ornament or non-functional space. Although obviously working within a tight budget, the architect nevertheless managed to produce a rather picturesque building. The building was separated into three components, the reading room itself, the wing for the subsidiary rooms, and the vestibule. The wing was further enlivened by a bay window dominating its rear facade. As a result, the Goss Reading Room has a rather complex form for a building of its small size. The design was not guided by allegiance to any of the high styles of the period. The parapeted gables and the large triple window, the boxed beams, and the massive fireplace of the reading room are reminiscent of the Jacobethan Revival. Other elements, such as the "capitals" of the vestibule corner posts, the vestibule cornice and the lateral cornices of the reading room and the wing, and the children's room fireplace, are more classical in inspiration. But, none of these stylistic features are so dominant that we can attach a high-style label to the building. Other features, such as the interior window and door trim, are simply typical of the period. So, it is clear that the architect was not striving, as he did in the Gothic Revival Congregational Church in Veterans Square, to reproduce a past style. His design was primarily eclectic, using whatever elements were needed to meet the goal of a pleasant and attractive building. And one must admit that he reached that goal. Despite its small size, the Goss Reading Room, aided in part by its prominent location overlooking a major intersection, does present an interesting and distinguished exterior appearance. The brick building, with its picturesque form and exterior details, stands out in its residential neighborhood, although, it is, in fact, smaller than most of the nearby houses. The three public rooms are also of interest. The entrance hall and the children's room are modest but comfortable rooms. The reading room is a more impressive space, with its high, three-pitched ceiling with boxed beams, the bookcase-lined walls, the large triple windows with their window benches, and the massive brick fireplace. But the reading room is not overpowering. It remains a pleasant, well-lit room, a quiet suitable place for the newspaper reader, the book browser, and the young student.

Among the public library buildings in Belknap County, the Goss Reading Room stands out as the only example of early 20th-century eclectic architecture. All of the other library buildings in the county, from the Gordon-Nash Library of New Hampton (1895-96) to the Gilman Library of Alton(1951), were built in a recognizable high style. The Classical and Colonial Revival styles were the most popular, accounting for every library building, save for Laconia's two buildings, the Romanesque Revival Gale Memorial Library (1901-03) and the eclectic Goss Reading Room. The Ossian Wilbur Goss Reading Room, although not ranked among the grander library buildings of the county, must still be considered, despite its modest size, one of Belknap County's most interesting public buildings, quite worthy of National Register recognition.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1986.