Borcher’s Stable
This handsome structure was built to replicate an original 1850 barn after it was destroyed by fire. Known as Borcher's Stable, the building accommodated Borcher's Inn (now II Portico Restaurant) across the street.
Henry Borcher owned the inn and the barn from 1890 to1945. He rebuilt the barn in 1920 and ran a livery stable there. Later, the building served as a garage, housed various businesses in its front room, and was used for storage.
By the late 1990's, the Tappan Library at 93 Main Street, known on the National Register as the William DeVoe Store, had outgrown its 1750 home despite the latest renovation in 1995-96. When the 1920 stable next door came up for sale in 2005, the library’s board took a leap of faith and bought it from Paul Melone.
The decision to incorporate the old livery stable into the Tappan Library was not an easy one. The stable was in poor condition at the ground level, due to flooding from the Sparkill over the years. The flooding had caused serious damage to the ground-level beams. From a financial standpoint, it would probably have been more cost-effective to raze the structure and build a new addition.
In order to preserve the stable and incorporate it into the library, it was decided to raise the building about four feet, thus preventing the possible flooding of the first floor. Wooden beams were replaced in kind. Where exterior siding needed to be replaced, wood was used almost exclusively, with the exception of the bottom four courses.
The addition of the stable has made the Tappan Library an even greater asset to the community than it already was. The children's library has been greatly expanded. New areas include a teen room, a tutoring office, a children 's workshop, the local history room, a small meeting room, a larger community room, and office space. The entire space is filled with natural light and views of Memorial Park, the Kim Bristol bridge and the historic district of Tappan.
Please join us in congratulating the Tappan Library on their 2016 Historic Preservation Award for Adaptive Use.
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