Noyes Library for Young Children to Close April 21 – May 5

The Noyes Library for Young Children in Kensington will be closed from Tuesday, April 21 until Tuesday, May 5 while the building’s exterior is re-painted as part of an abatement program to address the presence of lead-based paint found on the structure.

A contractor for the county’s Department of General Services will remove the exterior paint, utilizing scraping and a chemical solvent. All work will be performed by a licensed firm, with trained workers, and monitored by a consultant, to ensure all safe work practices are employed.

“I felt it was important that the painting project be completed as soon as possible and in an environment that was safe and would result in minimal concerns for our users,” said Montgomery County Public Libraries Director Parker Hamilton. “So, we decided to close for the two week-period in which the painting will be done in order to ensure that goal.”

The presence of lead-based paint was discovered recently prior to starting upcoming work required to make some planned ADA modifications. The building was constructed in 1892.

The programs scheduled at Noyes during the closing will be held at nearby Kensington Park Library, 4201 Knowles Ave. Updated information on the programs can be found at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Library/branches/noyes.html or by calling Kensington Park Library at 240.773.9515.

Noyes Library for Young Children, located at 10237 Carroll Place, offers books and programs specifically for early childhood, along with a comfortable space for babies, toddlers and preschoolers to read and play together with their adult companions.

Now a nationally recognized model for children’s library services and a thriving center for early literacy, Noyes opened on January 10, 1893. Real estate broker and banker, Brainard Warner chose and donated the land and built the library while Crosby Noyes, editor and publisher of the “Washington Evening Star” newspaper, filled the library with books, many that he had reviewed for his paper.

Noyes is the oldest public library in the Washington, D.C. area and one of only a few public libraries in the country dedicated to children.

About Staff Writer

View all posts by Staff Writer