“The building is structurally sound and the foundation is very strong and not cracked and all that good stuff, but water comes in it,” Library Director Marcy Kaiser said. “It’s a sandstone foundation and that happens with sandstone.”

Sandstone was commonly used in 19th-century Ohio for foundations The stone’s abundance, strength, and ease of quarrying made it a natural choice for builders of homes, churches, schools, and public institutions — including many libraries and courthouses that still stand today, and while its beauty and durability stands the test of time, water intrusion can be a bane.

Sandstone is porous. Builders often included natural drainage around the foundation but as time passes and ground conditions change, moisture becomes a common issue. Freeze-thaw cycles, soil shifting, and rising groundwater can cause mortar erosion and settlement. That’s why today, preservation projects like the Lepper Library restoration, often focus on resetting sandstone blocks and improving drainage to prevent further wear. The resetting process is known as “re-pointing” — repairing or replacing the mortar between the stones. Repointing restores the wall’s strength, stability, and weather resistance — and helps preserve its historic appearance.

The library board has partnered with Joshua Thomas, Director of Engineering at Baker Bednar Snyder & Associates Inc., to guide the restoration. Murphy Contracting Company of Youngstown is handling the drainage and foundation work — carefully resetting the original sandstone blocks that have supported the building since 1897.

“They pulled all the soil away from the foundation and they repointed the stone,” Kaiser explained. “They also put a product that has fibers in it so it’s not just masonry. It creates a shell and they are putting a rubber membrane around it, and then french drains with gravel and piping and insulation. They are redoing all the drainage from the gutters and will also repoint all the stone on the inside.”

The library is also receiving a new heating and air conditioning system that hasn’t been upgraded since the 1980s. Tolson Comfort Systems of Salem will replace the HVAC system to preserve both comfort and the delicate balance of humidity inside the historic structure.

The funds came from the One Time Strategic Community Investments Grant Program created by the State of Ohio in 2023 as part of a special allocation of one-time funds derived from federal COVID-19 relief money. After the pandemic, the State of Ohio, like many other states, received large amounts of federal aid through programs but once immediate pandemic-response needs were met, a portion of those dollars was placed into Ohio’s One Time Strategic Community Investments Fund, established by the Ohio General Assembly and administered by the Office of Budget and Management (OBM).

“The One Time Strategic Community Investments Grant Program is a long name, but basically it was the money that the state said was left over from COVID and they gave the house and senate a huge amount of money and we got $175,000,” Kaiser said, giving State Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel credit for securing the funds for the library.

The grant was welcomed relief to Kaiser who had exhausted efforts to fund the foundation work through other avenues. Kaiser said she explored other grants as the library remains on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Lisbon Historic District – a reminder that history lives not only in books but in the very walls that protect them – but came up short.

Kaiser also said the foundation restoration was put on the backburner when fundraising focus turned to the modern addition that was completed in 2010.

“I think, over the years, money was saved to put the addition on. They were saving money for 20-plus years and it was all done with very small donations and a lot of people in town gave money to build that, but the foundation also needed attention that it necessary wasn’t getting,” she said.

But now, thanks to the $175,000 and efforts by Blasdel, Kaiser said “we are now able update this wonderful building so it will last many more years for the people of the Lisbon area.”

The Lepper Library was made possible in 1897 through the generosity of Virginia Lepper who donated both the land and $10,000 ($6,000 for construction and $4,000 for books) to establish a library in memory of her husband Charles Lepper. The Leppers were Lisbon natives who had made their lives in Cleveland, but their hearts never left the village. Charles was the grandson of William Lepper, founder of The Ohio Patriot in 1808 — one of Ohio’s earliest newspapers and a cornerstone of Lisbon’s identity.

When the library opened its doors in May 1898, it was more than a building. It was a promise, a gift from one generation to the next. Designed by Cleveland architect George F. Hammond in the grand Richardsonian Romanesque style, the library’s heavy arches, intricate brickwork, and the locally quarried sandstone foundation gave it both grace and strength.

“The building is still strong,” Kaiser said “But it needed some TLC and it was long overdue. It was time to give back to the structure that has given so much to this community.”

The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year. After the construction is complete, the library will replace the landscape and make parking lot repairs. The library remains open during the construction phase.

To learn more about the project or services available at the Lepper Library, visit the website at lepperlibrary.org.

selverd@mojonews.com