Local resident Chad Fabry is expected to take ownership of the former Swan Library in the Village of Albion this month. In February, Hoag Library trustees accepted a $53,000 purchase offer for the building from Fabry, who works primarily as a home and building inspector.
Fabry says he has a passion for restoring and stewarding historic properties. He has spent years restoring the Fabry family home outside of Holley – an Italianate villa designed and built in the 1860s by William V.N. Barlow, a prominent designer/builder in the area who also designed and built the Swan building and, according to Fabry, was involved with just about every major structure in Orleans County including the County Courthouse in Albion.
The Swan was originally constructed as a mansion in 1851 for R.S. Burrows. One of his employees, William G. Swan, later acquired the structure, Fabry says. The building was donated by the Swan family for use as a library – which opened in 1900 and served the community for 112 years. The new Hoag Library opened its doors just down the street in the summer of 2012.
Fabry says he and his wife, Alana, were initially asked if they were interested in purchasing some of the period furniture in the library for their home. “Once I saw the nearly intact interior, the walnut staircase, the oak floors and trim, the old lighting and the fireplace surrounds, I was hooked,” Fabry says.
His wife took a little more convincing, he notes, but the couple decided to make an offer on the furniture and the building. “Ironically, the library board voted to sell us the building, but they kept the furniture,” Fabry says.
Fabry inspects homes and buildings for a living – he owns StructureSmart, Inc. “I specialize in historic structures,” he says. “I’m interested in the history and I have a reverence for the skilled craftsmen who built these grand old structures. Clearly, they took pride in their efforts.”
The idea of converting the Swan into apartments is repulsive to Fabry. “I think the building is nice enough to attract quality professionals or other dignified uses which won’t require significant changes to the structure,” Fabry says. “Our tentative plan is to use the existing floor plan, freshen up the interior and hopefully find three or four awesome tenants to use the space.”
As soon as possible after closing – set for mid-March – Fabry says they will clean and paint, “We’ll save the murals of the village buildings,” he says, and make the bathrooms nicer. “Then we’ll wait for prospective tenants to describe their needs before we make other improvements. I think we’ll have space available by May.”
Neil Johnson, Ph.D., Albion Village Historian and former long-time treasurer of the Swan Library, says he’s pleased the Fabrys are purchasing the building. “It’s the best we could hope for,” he says. “We spent years trying to think of a use.”
Johnson notes the library board worked to keep the building in good condition over the years. He adds that because of its size and layout, the mansion probably never should have been used as a library. “By 1920, it had outgrown the location,” he says.
Fabry says he appreciates the building’s historical significance to Albion and Orleans County. “It’s been in the public eye for over a century, he says. “It’s hosted concerts and readings and played a role in thousands of people’s lives and memories. It’s graced the corner (at 4 North Main Street) with its architectural beauty and well-groomed grounds for 165 years. Buildings like this and other significant historic structures throughout Albion are a source of pride for the community and a wonderful testament to Albion’s heyday.”
Because the building has been in public use for so long, Fabry says he plans to make the large reading room on the first floor accessible to the community.
Fabry is also eager to hear ideas regarding use of the building and welcomes suggestions and input. Contact him atchad@structuresmart.com.
