Most of the slate on Saginaw's historic Hoyt Library dates back to 1890 — a time when Benjamin Harrison was president — but leaks and resulting moisture problems inside the building have prompted city officials to replace them.
The $1.2 million job is part of a $5 million renovation to be completed for the library's 130th anniversary in 2020.
Maria McCarville, director of the public libraries for the city, said the library is still raising money to pay for the new roof, but the failing roof had become an urgent problem.
McCarville said the roofing is being replaced with "historically accurate materials" that should be expected to last another century.
The library, completed in 1890, was built with a $100,000 gift from Jesse Hoyt of New York. It's been expanded twice since then, and last year had more than 44,000 visitors.
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