St. Andrew's Library Remodel

St. Andrew’s Academy & College Has Moved!

Our very first project in our new space on Main Street in Old Towne Chester is the remodeling of our front room into a dedicated library and reading room for our students and for Chester. Our Giving Tuesday goal is $24,000, and every gift helps us begin the remodel.

And this year, anyone who gives $100 or more will help choose its official name—St. Bede’s Library, The Scriptorium, or Η Αγορά (The Agora)—and we welcome other unique name suggestions as well.

We hope to transform this room into a warm, wood-lined refuge: tall shelves, deep tones, natural light pouring through the windows, and a small coffee bar with our school’s espresso maker and our own blend of St. Andrew’s fresh-roasted coffee. A place where students, neighbors, and guests can settle in with a cup and stay awhile.

Chester has a fine public library and several cafés, but not a dedicated reading room—a quiet place designed specifically for study, reflection, conversation, creativity, and the kinds of discussions that shape lives. We don’t want to replace anything our town already values; we want to add something that doesn’t yet exist, something that strengthens the cultural and intellectual life of Chester.

Your gift builds the room itself: floor-to-ceiling shelves with a rolling ladder, warm wood flooring, a welcoming coffee bar, and a reading room suited for quiet work, small classes, evening lectures, or readers theatre. Dark wood floors, warm lighting, Renaissance art, and comfortable seating will make the space feel like a refuge for learners—a place where students, families, and neighbors can read, think, and talk together.

Would you help us begin the remodel of this much-anticipated space?
Every contribution brings us closer to opening this inviting room at the heart of our campus and our town.