Frances McCain retires from board

Tryon architect Holland Brady, who spoke at the Lanier Library on Tuesday, April 19, was presented with a lifetime membership at the library following his presentation.

He described the contributions to the architecture of the town by 42 architects, giving brief histories of their careers and, on a more personal level, talked about some of his own recollections of the library, including the woman who was librarian in his youth and for whom he worked as an assistant, Mary Frances Carpenter.

Brady, who is still practicing architecture in Tryon after more than 50 years, designed both extensions to the Lanier Library and he and his partners have designed more than 700 buildings in and around Tryon since the early 1950s.

The program at which Brady spoke is part of the Brown Bag Lunch series (held on the third Tuesday of every month) that was instituted by Frances McCain. McCain, who is retiring after serving two terms on the library’s board of directors, was responsible for organizing numerous programs at the library including plays and other library sponsored activities held at the Tryon Fine Arts Center and summer children’s programs. All Lanier Library programs are free to the public.

The Lanier Library, located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Melrose Avenue in Tryon, is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 – 4 p.m. It is one of only 16 membership libraries in the United States, including athenaeums in Boston, New York, Providence, St. Louis, Cincinnati and other large cities and receives all its funding from dues, gifts and grants.