WESTBROOK — After largely being off limits to the general public for the last 30 years, the original part of the at Walker Memorial Library is open again.

On Tuesday, library officials officially opened the Eleanor Conant Saunders Reading Room, outfitted with oversized leather chairs where library patrons can read and relax.

Rebecca Albert said ever since she started as library director in 2015, she has regularly fielded questions about when the original part of the library was going to reopen. She had always said “soon.” Tuesday, she was able to give a different answer.

“Today, I am pleased to say ‘soon’ has become ‘now’ for the historical wing to be open to the public for reading and quiet study,” she said to a crowd, which included library regents, municipal officials, city residents and library supporters.

The space is named for Eleanor Conant Saunders, a lifelong Westbrook resident, who upon her passing in 2014, bequeathed more than $250,000 to the city, including some $50,000 to the library.

Judith Reidman, chairman of the library’s Board of Regents, said getting to this point has been a long time coming.

“I can’t tell you how excited the board and trustees are that this is finally happening. We have been working on it since 2011,” Reidman said.

The restoration project also included some TLC in the local history room, now The Westbrook Room, where the public can go to study the history of Westbrook and the surrounding area, read and also peruse the library’s biographies collection, which was relocated from the adult services room. Both rooms will also be available for groups to rent out for meetings.

Albert said the project to restore the original part of the library would not have been possible without the support of the regents, library staff, city staff, city councilors, the Friends of Walker Memorial Library and, of course, Saunders.

Nancy Crump, a former regent at the library and a longtime friend of Saunders,  said Saunders would “be absolutely thrilled to see what this room has become.” The library, Crump said, had always had a place in Saunders’ heart ever since she was a little girl. Saunders, Crump said, called it “our Main Street gem.”

Reidman said Saunders “was nothing but a generous person in her time and energy and doing something for someone else.”

Mayor Mike Sanphy, who also called Saunders a friend, said she inspired him to get involved with the Westbrook Historical Society, where much of her local history collection has been donated.

“Her whole life centered around Westbrook,” he said.

The original library building, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, was designed by Frederick Tompson and built using funds lumber magnate Joseph Walker gave to the city to start a free public library. In 1989 an addition was built to the rear of the building, where many of the library functions are housed today.

Michael Kelley can be reached at 780-9106 or [email protected] or on Twitter @mkelleynews

Nancy Crump, a former regent at Walker Memorial Library, reads Eleanor Conant Saunders’ recollections of visiting the library every Thursday as a little girl. On Thursday, the library dedicated its new reading room in Conant’s memory.

The Eleanor Conant Saunders Reading Room offers library patrons a place to read and study.