Work is progressing on the expansion of the Charlton Library of Fall River History at the FRHS; the west room, formerly the rather cavernous wine cellar – note the arched ceiling – was completely reconstructed during the winter of 2017.
The large room measures 10’ x 56’ and was previously unusable due to several factors, most notably the irregularity of the old concrete and brick floor – the southeast corner was nearly one foot higher than the north east corner – coupled with irregular, crumbling skim coat on walls and ceiling.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Earle P. Charlton Jr. Charity Fund, a new room was created within the old, and an efficient HVAC system was installed to maintain consistent levels of temperature and humidity. In order to ensure that the HVAC system was providing appropriate climate control, it was decided to allow the system to run a full year before utilizing the space for collections storage.
Well, the year is up, and we are moving on to the next phase. In short, we can finally fully utilize the area.
These photographs show the south side of the room, before and after construction, and the recent installation of fourteen shelving units, providing 210 linear feet of much-needed storage; additional units are on order for the east wall.
An amazing transformation.
