Gill memorial library at the paul house

Library Expansion Helps to Save Historic House: A Win-Win for the Community

The Board and staff of the Gill Memorial Library in Paulsboro, NJ, started working with Kimmel Bogrette several years ago on a much-needed renovation and expansion of the Library, which is currently housed in a 200-year-old stone building. Funding for the expansion project had been an issue until two grants were awarded for the restoration of the Paul House across the street. The Paul House was built in 1810 by the town’s founder, Samuel Paul. Community leaders and the Library Board then started envisioning an expansion and renovation of the Paul House that would become the new Gill Memorial Library. The existing Library building will in turn become a Local History Museum. The Library Board and town leaders have high hopes that this transformation will once again make the Gill Memorial Library a destination for townspeople while boosting an already strong community spirit.