Compiled with thanks to the
Johann Fust Library Foundation and from information
gathered by David Futch
Photos by Caroline Clabaugh and
from magazine archives
On January 1, 1950, the Johann
Fust Community Library
opened its doors for the fi rst
time, a beautiful gem of a library for
such a tiny little island, and this year it
celebrates its 70th birthday.
The Johann Fust Library Foundation
has exciting plans to celebrate
this milestone. For instance, a new
feature will be an elevator that will
make it possible for people to access
the space upstairs, which will house
the Foundation offi ce. Meetings and
workshops will be held there. The
Cost Cottage next door, which has
always been a part of the library’s
history, will also be given a well-
needed renovation, and work on the
library’s roof has been done as well.
The concept for such a unique
library began with Roger and Louise
Amory, who came to Boca Grande
for the fi rst time in the 1940s (they
were friends of Louise du Pont
Crowninshield, and she knew they
would love it). While they were here,
Louise realized how much she missed
the weekly library trips she would take
back home in Boston. At the same
time Roger, an avid book collector,
was pining for his own private library.
In 1948 the couple decided to do
something about it.
Roger contacted architect Harry
March/April 2020 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE 77