"The success of that effort will be an important factor in determining whether, and how, the project can move forward in a financially responsible way." That sentence comes from the Ho-Ho-Kus Library Foundation, and it describes the effort to raise up to $5 million in private money for a new public library at 10 Orvil Court.
The wording is careful because the project is still a proposal. The building has been chosen and an architect is drawing it. The borough has authorized bonds and is about to repave the street out front. The piece that decides the outcome is the private money, and that piece only formally started on June 23, 2026.
Forty Steps Up From Warren Avenue
The Worth-Pinkham Memorial Library sits in a house at 91 Warren Avenue. It came to the community through the bequest of Caroline Mildreth Worth Pinkham, a scholar and writer who earned her Ph.D. in 1941 and left the house for library use in 1984. The building was dedicated as the library in 1988. The institution is older than the house. A library association formed in 1924, and the borough took it over as a municipal library in the late 1920s. The library's own pages give both 1927 and 1928 for that step.
According to the Foundation, the problem with the Warren Avenue house is getting into it. The entrance is more than 40 steps above street level. The Foundation also writes that the hilltop site keeps the library "somewhat apart from the natural flow of activity in the center of town." The library's own relocation FAQ puts it more gently: "the building is not in the same condition it was in 1905."
People are still using it. At the August 25 council meeting, the borough's minutes recorded the library's highest participation yet in its summer reading challenge, including more than 200 adults who signed up.
Why the Old Bank Building
The proposed site is the former Bank of America building at 10 Orvil Court. The Mayor and Council and the library's Board of Trustees have been working on the relocation plan together. The Foundation's reason for the site is about geography. The building is close to the business district, the Town Green, Memorial Park and Borough Hall.
The plan also changed after it was first shown to the public. After the original feasibility study, the state's NJDEP Flood Hazard Area Design and Construction elevation code changed. Under the new code, the bank's existing basement will be filled in, and the interior was redesigned around that. That is why the current plan differs from the one presented in 2024.
Here is how the two buildings compare on the points the library has published:
| 91 Warren Avenue | 10 Orvil Court, as proposed | |
|---|---|---|
| Building | House owned by the borough, bought outright in 2021 | Former Bank of America branch |
| Access | More than 40 steps from street to entrance | Close to Borough Hall, the Town Green and Memorial Park |
| Space | Current library, not counting its basement | 49% more square footage than that baseline |
| Community use | Not described | Dedicated meeting and community room |
| Parking | Not described | 9 lot spaces, plus 7 angled spaces on Orvil Court |
The seven extra spaces would come from closing the entrance to the old bank drive-through and adding angled parking along Orvil Court. The library has not published an exact square-footage figure. The 49% increase is measured against the current library without its basement.
Three Sources of Money, and Only One Is Set by Law
Library operating money in New Jersey comes from a fixed formula. State law requires municipalities with public libraries to fund them at one-third of a mill, which the library describes as 33 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value. That formula keeps the library open. It does not pay for a new building.
The relocation plan relies on three other sources:
- A municipal bond. The Foundation says the borough has authorized up to $2.95 million in bonding, and it also says total project costs are expected to be higher than that. The library's FAQ says the Mayor and Council have been looking for ways to offset the debt and reduce the impact on taxpayers.
- The library's saved capital funds. The FAQ lists these as part of the plan but gives no amount.
- Private giving. The FAQ mentions a brick campaign and naming rights. The Foundation's target is up to $5 million.
The arithmetic explains the cautious wording in that opening quote. The Foundation's private goal is larger than the borough's bond authorization. No final total budget has been published, and the Foundation has not posted an amount raised so far. Its giving levels are still being finalized. The borough has reported about $2.63 million in grants secured across its priorities, but none of that is identified as library money.
What Has Moved Since June
Council minutes show the project picking up speed over the summer:
- June 2026. The Foundation's first meeting was scheduled for June 4, and the Foundation gives June 23 as its formal establishment date as a 501(c)(3).
- July 28. The council's 10 Orvil report said the Foundation had met twice and was organizing fundraising and outreach.
- August 25. The minutes said the architect continued to make progress on the overall plans and design. A meeting on furniture, fixtures and equipment was scheduled, and the Foundation was preparing for its fourth meeting. The bill list approved that night included a design-phase invoice of $9,281.25 from Arcari & Iovino Architects for the library.
- September 12. The Foundation ran a booth at Ho-Ho-Kus Day, which the minutes call its first community outreach event.
The library's FAQ says residents will start to see progress in 2026. It also warns that municipal construction projects take longer than residential ones. No construction bid award or start date appears in the records reviewed for this post.
The Street Comes First
Orvil Court is likely to look different before the building does. At the August 25 meeting, the borough administrator reported that the borough was going out to bid to pave Orvil Court and the Sycamore area around the Bank of America building. That work is funded by a $212,000 state DOT grant. The September 22 council agenda included a proposed resolution to award the Orvil Court and Sycamore Avenue resurfacing to DLS Contracting.
The paving is a separate street project, not library construction. It is grant-funded, though, and it is happening right around the proposed site. That makes it the first visible change at 10 Orvil Court this year, while the building itself still depends on fundraising.
What Happens to the House on Warren Avenue
If the library moves, the Mayor and Council will decide what happens to 91 Warren Avenue, not the library board. The FAQ lists three options: sell it to offset project costs, rent it to tenants, or keep it for borough use. It also notes that the property is in a single-family residential zone. The borough bought the property outright in 2021, in part so it would not go back to the estate that donated it. The FAQ addresses the history directly: "While we cannot hold onto all of the generous gifts we receive, we can honor their spirit in the future."
No decision has been announced. For now the old library's future depends on the new one being built.
A $20 Donation at Borough Hall
The first fundraiser that anyone can take part in is a set of local history books. Longtime resident and local historian Michael "Mike" Reade compiled the two-volume Ho-Ho-Kus Short Story Collection. The August minutes describe it as stories, historical accounts, pictures and illustrations about the borough. Reade donated 250 premier-edition sets to the Foundation. A borough notice posted October 3 says copies are available at Borough Hall for a $20 cash donation, with proceeds going to the proposed new library. The same notice reports that sales at Ho-Ho-Kus Day brought in $500.
That $500 is the first reported result from a campaign aiming for up to $5 million. The library's plan describes a brick campaign and naming opportunities as coming later, and none of the records reviewed for this post show either one launched. The Foundation accepts larger gifts and naming-rights inquiries at [email protected] or by mail at 333 Warren Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus. The Mayor and Council also take questions at public meetings.
A civic building moving into the center of town affects how a downtown works for years. If you are thinking about what the move means for your block or your own plans, Max Stokes is happy to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
