The Lucy Robbins Welles Library, on Cedar Street in Newington, was dedicated in 1939. It was built on the site of the General Roger Welles House, which had burned down in 1855. That homestead had housed an early town library and had been the childhood home of Edwin Welles, who married Lucy Robbins in 1853. The couple moved into the Italianate house across the street, where they lived for over fifty years. In 1919, their daughters, Fanny A. Welles and Mary Welles Eddy, gave funds and land to build a library in honor of their mother. The town later bought some adjoining land and the library was then constructed. The original structure was designed to resemble a colonial house. The library has been expanded since that time with later additions.
Looks like the expansion of the library included enclosing this building. When you walk into the library, you will see part of the facade of this building – the stone walls, the windows, the dormers – inside the library. This is disorienting because you feel like you’re outside, seeing the outside of the building, while you’re inside. The glass roof used to enclose the building allows daylight in making the perception that you’re really outside more realistic.