Pinehurst is building a new Given Memorial Library on Magnolia Road. Once it opens, which the Village expects in 2027, the 1964 library building on the Village Green will be renovated as a full-time home for the Tufts Archives. The current plan puts a Village of Pinehurst History Museum at its center.
Most of the talk has been about the new library. The bigger change is happening in the old building. PineStraw has described the Archives, which now sits in the back room of the Given Memorial Library, as "at its core Pinehurst's history museum." The library's move gives that museum the whole building. How much of the plan gets built depends on bids and donations that haven't come in yet.
What Sits in the Back Room Today
The Village describes the Tufts Archives as a record of Pinehurst from its founding in 1895 to today. It's open to residents, visitors, researchers, students, and members of the media, and admission and research help are free.
Here's what's on view, according to PineStraw's October 2025 feature and the Village's own collection listing:
- James Walker Tufts' original marble and silver soda fountain, along with pieces from the Tufts silverplate collection and the American Soda Fountain Company, the business that made his fortune
- China used at the Holly Inn in 1895 and holiday menus from the Carolina Hotel
- A playing card with a bullet hole from Annie Oakley
- Hand-colored postcards, posters, and historic photographs, many of them taken by John G. Hemmer
- Hundreds of original course drawings by Donald Ross and pin flags from courses he designed
PineStraw reports that the Archives holds the world's largest collection of Ross memorabilia. The Village says the Ross holdings include original field sketches and course layouts for more than 200 courses. Beyond golf, the collection covers maps, blueprints, architectural drawings, issues of The Pinehurst Outlook, Tufts family papers, and resources for genealogical and property research.
You'll see two different image counts. The Village lists more than 85,000 digitized images, and PineStraw cites more than 150,000 historic images. The first counts what has been digitized and the second counts the whole photo collection, so both hold up.
All of this fits in a single room of a building designed in the 1960s for a library.
Why the Archives Needed the Library to Leave
The building's history explains the crowding. Sarah Given Larson paid for the original library in 1964, and Richard S. Tufts donated the land. The Tufts Archives was added about ten years later. The Village now says the building has run out of room for modern library operations and for storing and preserving the Village's historical archives.
The answer was two projects in sequence. The library moves first, and then the Archives gets the building. Here's where things stand on the first project:
- September 2025. The Village awarded the construction contract to M-Squared Construction, Inc. for a 9,250-square-foot library designed by Oakley Collier Architects. The Pilot reported the construction contract at $4.5 million. The Village projected the full project, including furnishings, technology, and equipment, to come in below its original $6 million estimate.
- January 2026. Officials broke ground at the Magnolia Road site. The Pilot places the site just past a curve on Magnolia Road, before the Pinehurst Police Department.
- Spring 2026. Crews cleared and graded the site and set up tree protection zones. By the Village's May 15 update, the building's footprint was clearly visible behind construction screening.
- August 11, 2026. Council heard that the building pad, underground utilities, reinforcing steel, and concrete slab were finished and site drainage was about 95 percent complete. Patio footings, metal framing, and beams for the storefront systems were next.
- As early as March 2027. This is the Village's target for substantial completion.
The new library will add space for educational programs and youth activities, better technology, flexible meeting areas, and design details that reflect Pinehurst's history. The Village hasn't published a street number for it.
You'll also be able to walk there. In June, Council awarded Sanford Contractors an $824,650 contract for sidewalk and stormwater work along Rattlesnake Trail that connects to the new library. Work was set to start in late summer and finish around Thanksgiving. The Village's bid notice calls for about 1,200 linear feet of five-foot brick sidewalk along Rattlesnake Trail and Magnolia Road. The same work sends stormwater to the pond behind the Police Department, which keeps the library site's pond from getting too deep in heavy rain.
The Museum Council Is Still Pricing
With the library gone, the Archives gets the whole building. After several rounds of design review, Council told the project team to focus on renovating the existing building and drop the idea of a major expansion. The September 2026 floor plan from Oakley Collier includes a Village of Pinehurst History Museum, a welcome center and display area, a dedicated research room, the Eric Nelson Meeting Room, and a community events space with digital displays. It also adds new accessible entrances and ramps and a wider staircase.
The money is still being worked out.
| Line item | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Money the Village has set aside for the Archives renovation | About $2.5 million | Village project page, September 2026 |
| Architect's current preliminary estimate | About $4.1 million | Council meeting, September 8, 2026 |
| Estimated added cost of an elevator | About $500,000 | Council meeting, August 11, 2026 |
| Construction contract for the new library, for comparison | $4.5 million | The Pilot, contract award, September 2025 |
At the current estimate, renovating the old building would cost nearly as much as building the new library. The Village says the estimate went up as design moved forward and more building needs came to light. It also includes several major pieces that are still under review. Those needs include environmental controls, collection storage, and fire protection, meaning the systems that keep old paper, photographs, and Ross drawings in good condition. Earlier this year, Council also asked for more detail on where restrooms would go, how to handle fire suppression, and whether to use a dumbwaiter or an elevator.
On September 8, Council agreed to keep the design moving toward bidding before deciding on value engineering or extra funding. That way it can compare real construction prices with confirmed donations, available Village funds, and a possible draw from fund balance. The Village says it hasn't decided to spend the full estimate. It expects private donations to improve parts of the project, especially the exhibits and visitor experience.
That makes the museum's final scale a fundraising question as much as a design question. The Pilot has reported proposed naming gifts, including $75,000 for the library's children's area and $100,000 for the Archives research and multipurpose room. The paper described those prices as preliminary. The Given Tufts Foundation raises money for both the library and the Archives through its bookshop, volunteers, and donations, and its website shows a Spring 2026 appeal.
When the Current Archives Is Likely to Close
The Village says the Archives will stay where it is and be renovated at a later date. The work is set to begin after the new library opens, which is expected in 2027. Earlier Council notes put bidding in early 2027, after the archival materials can move into the new library. The Village hasn't announced closure dates, temporary hours, or where the collection will be viewable during construction. If you want to see the soda fountain and the Ross drawings in their current back-room setting, this fall and winter are the safest bet.
The fall calendar will bring plenty of people past the building anyway. The 48th Holly Arts & Crafts Festival runs Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at James W. Tufts Memorial Park, 1 Village Green Road West. Oktoberfest follows on October 24 from 4 to 9 p.m. at the same park. The Village's event page says golf carts can park in the pine straw at Tufts by entering from behind the library off Village Green Road. Event days aren't posted as Archives hours, so check with the library before planning a visit around either one.
To follow the two projects, the Village keeps a library construction updates page and a separate Tufts Archives renovation page. Budget decisions show up first in the Village Council meeting highlights.
The Archives also offers property research resources, including maps, blueprints, and architectural drawings that can help trace the story of an older Pinehurst house. If you've started looking into your home's history and want to talk about what it means for you, Rose A Ward would be glad to listen. Let's Connect.
