Mystic — Brick by brick, the chimney of a more than 100-year-old Mystic landmark has been restored.

The Mystic & Noank Library is putting the finishing touches on a project to reconstruct the original brick chimney of the library founded in the 1890s by Noank native Captain Elihu Spicer.

The project required attention to every painstaking detail, from removing and cleaning each brick, to matching the grout to the color used during construction in the late 19th century, library representatives said.

“Elihu Spicer left us this wonderful legacy, and we feel an amazing and pressing responsibility to uphold that legacy,” said Library Director Karen Wall.

‘An epic journey’

Wall said the restoration has been “an epic journey” that began when library stewards first detected a problem last year as plaster on a wall, above a wood panel paying tribute to Spicer and the fireplace, had started to bubble from water damage.

The library brought in experts who inspected the chimney with high-powered lenses and drones and discovered severe cracks around the chimney’s cap, she said. While the chimney had been mended over the years, the library representatives realized it was time to embark on a more significant project.

They consulted with the state Historic Preservation Office, since the building, designed in the Richardson Romanesque style, is a historic district property on the National Register of Historic Places, said Roger T. Richards, chairman of the library's Committee on Buildings and Grounds.

Richards said every single exterior brick in the chimney is original, and their curved design — unique even for that time period — presented a challenge for reconstruction. The library selected Cenaxo, a Connecticut-based company with a “tremendous background in historic preservation” as the exterior masonry contractor.

Cenaxo started work to repoint the chimney in the fall, but discovered the damage was much more severe than initially thought.

The library put the brakes on the project and decided instead to completely rebuild the chimney from the roofline up to ensure the structure was in good shape for at least the next 125 years, Wall said. Since winter is not conducive to masonry work, the contractor wrapped the chimney up until the spring. The COVID-19 pandemic, meanwhile, did not impact the construction schedule.

The project, overseen by Thomas A. Gribbin of Noyes Vogt Architects in Chester, started in March.

Mark Seddon, project manager at Cenaxo, said workers removed each brick from the roofline up. The workers cleaned and repaired each one, as necessary, he said.

Seddon said they then used fresh mortar, matched to the original color, and rebuilt the chimney. They repaired the original brownstone cap and reset it on top of the chimney.

The library also added an upgraded flue liner to the project, because the old one had deteriorated. Armstrong Chimney placed the 60-foot flue liner, Wall said.

The exterior work is on track to wrap up this week, Wall said. The library will next turn its attention to the interior.

Wall said that while workers re-plaster the water-damaged wall, they will also restore the wood panel, which did not have extensive damage. 

An anonymous donor stepped forward with a significant donation that would cover a portion of the estimated $130,000 project cost, Wall said. The library is fundraising for the rest of the project, and gifts are currently being matched.

As the library launched its appeal for donations, Wall said many people commented about the love they have for the building and said they came to the library as children and are now bringing their own children.

“It’s just a gem in the community,” she said.

‘A work of art itself’

Wall said the library stewards felt a great responsibility to maintain the historic structure and accurately restore the chimney in keeping with the historical nature of the building.

Captain Elihu Spicer, a Noank native, founded the library, built in the 1890s across from his summertime residence on Elm Street in Mystic, according to the library’s website.

Dedicated in January 1894, after his death, the two-story antique brick library featured a 200-capacity lecture hall and 4,055 volumes of books, according to an article in The Day that notes the library as “Capt. Spicer’s Gift to Mystic and Noank Villages.”

Spicer included materials and features in the building to reflect his travels, including brick, granite, sandstone, marble, tile mosaics and stained glass in the window transoms, Wall said. Sculptures in front of the building represent the gods Minerva for literature and Apollo for the arts.

“Captain Spicer took great pains to make it a work of art itself, and I think that’s what people feel when they come into the building,” Wall said. “It has a sense of community itself.”

In 2018 and 2019, about 100,000 people a year visited the library, Wall said. The library is an association library that receives financial support from Groton and Stonington but is funded almost 70% by private sources, according to the library's brochure.

Wall said the library’s uniqueness stems from a combination of factors: the building’s beautiful architecture, the warmth of the building, park-like setting, neighborhood feel, welcoming staff, and programs for the community.

Julia Parry, a member of the library’s board of trustees, said the library not only offers books and technology but brings together people for its programs and collaborates with other libraries in the area.

“It has a huge reach and so people are really dedicated to the library: They want to see this chimney built and put back together,” she said.

With the library closed to the public due to the pandemic, Judy Munro, president of the library’s board of trustees, said the library is starting to take “baby steps” to reopen, with curbside pick up starting Monday.

She said completing the project in the right manner was not only important to her, but to the whole community.

“The library is such a treasure that people really want to make sure it continues for another 127 years,” she said.

k.drelich@theday.com