Finger Lakes history · regional story
Developing historyThe little office beside the library
Skaneateles’s library incorporated an older office into its building plan. According to its history, the doorway between them came almost a century later.
Research status
This history is still developing.
Parts of this account remain unresolved. Here is what the sources support, what is uncertain, and what we are looking for next.
About this review. Written and source-checked with AI assistance under an owner-authorized editorial process. This is not a personal review by Riley or an independent historian. Sources and unresolved questions are listed below; corrections are welcome.
- What the records establish
- The institutional account distinguishes architectural inclusion from a later interior connection. The 1890 dedication and 1987 doorway are different milestones.
- What remains uncertain
- We have not inspected the trustees’ debate, the tenant’s agreement or the original plans. The account’s description of a disagreement does not establish each participant’s reasons.
- What we are researching next
- Find the bequest, Green & Wicks plans, board minutes and documentation of the 1987 alteration. Compare the planned entrance with the doorway that was eventually made.
The older building had a name: the Sphinx. Skaneateles Library’s history describes it as a small brick law office left to the association by Benoni Lee, beside land the trustees had bought in 1885. History.
The trustees disagreed about keeping it. According to the library, Green & Wicks designed the new building to incorporate the office, but its tenant did not want readers entering through his workspace. Construction began in 1888 and the library was dedicated in 1890; the adjoining office remained separate inside. History.
The doorway finally came in 1987, when the Sphinx became a home for the children’s collection. The association, incorporated in 1877, had carried this small building through successive decisions about what a library should contain. History.
Sources
- History — Skaneateles Library; Not stated. Locator: Paragraphs on 1877 incorporation, 1885 land purchase, Benoni Lee’s bequest, 1888 construction, Sphinx dispute, 1890 dedication and 1987 doorway. Accessed October 22, 2026.