New Life for Carnegie Library

Built during 1902-1906 with funding supplied by Andrew Carnegie, the neo-Classical library in Delaware, Ohio, served the community for almost 100 years. In the 1990s, the library outgrew its building and sold it to Delaware County. By the late ‘90s, it was apparent that the county had also outgrown the 8,600-sq.ft. facility, so they turned to Schooley Caldwell Associates of Columbus, Ohio, for a sympathetic addition. The county needed to increase the floor space by approximately 300% so the building could accommodate a number of different functions, from public spaces and county offices to operating centers for EMA, EMS, 911, and the county Emergency Operation Center. Located in an historic area of downtown Delaware, the campus also presented a challenge because of its limited space and historic significance. It includes the original courthouse, sheriff's residence, and the jail, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"The Columbus metropolitan area has been growing rapidly in the last few years, and the need for services grew along with it," says Robert D. Loversidge, Jr., AIA, principal-in-charge, Schooley Caldwell Associates. "About three years ago, we did a comprehensive space analysis plan for the county and saw that the building next to the county courthouse, the Carnegie Library, wasn't well utilized. We worked with the idea of expanding it to house all of the emergency services and also to provide meeting rooms for the public."

The architectural firm's job was to renovate the exterior and public interior spaces of the existing library building and to increase the usable space by 300% to accommodate the additional services. The $2.565 million job also called for the replacement of the existing communications tower.

To achieve the necessary added floor space within these parameters, the architects put the EMS and EMA offices and the Emergency Response Services below grade in a sub-basement in the addition. They also squeezed a second floor into what would normally be an attic space.

It was decided to put all the public functions, including county courtroom and meeting and reception areas, in the original Carnegie Library Building, while the county offices and 911 and EMS services were located in the addition. This arrangement provides separate, secure 24-hour access to the emergency services, as well as separate access to certain parts of the original building, so the public can use the meeting rooms. "Before this, the county really didn't have much in the way of meeting rooms," Loversidge notes. "We set it up this way so the 911 center has 24-hour access and also so meetings can be held in the meeting rooms when the rest of the building is closed."

The original 26-ft.-high rotunda, which had been covered by a dropped ceiling, was opened and restored into a breathtaking public space. "Most people didn't even know there was a rotunda," Loversidge points out. "It was hidden by a dropped ceiling and fluorescent lighting. The stainedglass window was completely intact. We just had to clean it and do a little repair work."

Although the original classical entrance was kept, a new accessible entryway was added to the side of the building. It provides access into an elevator that can be taken to the rotunda or to any floor of the building. The addition was carefully designed to keep the same scale as the original library, but to stand on its own as a product of our time.

Certain decisions were made in order to keep the historic appearance of the original building while showing its history over time. For example, to restore the full view of the original Carnegie Library front entrance, the existing communications tower was moved from the front of the building to the side of the addition. The architects also chose to leave the original brick exterior exposed, where possible, within the new addition, as a clear indication of where the original building ends and the new one begins. By the same token, Schooley Caldwell Associates decided not to try to match the brick and mortar of the original building. Instead, they selected modular brick with mortar that is similar to the color of the original, but does not match exactly the thinner mortar joints of the older building.

Construction began in February of 1999 and was completed in July of 2001. Schooley Caldwell Associates was able to add 14,860 sq.ft. of usable space, almost tripling the floor space, and to incorporate very different functions into one historic building. They also restored the beauty of the original building for public use. "With this iteration, we have increased the public awareness and access to the building almost to the same level it had when it was the Carnegie Library," says Loversidge. "The building will get tremendous public use. It's good for restoration to see contemporary services and historic buildings work together. It's good to see a bright, shiny 911 Emergency Services room and original library rooms together in one historic building."

www.palladioawards.com
Restore Media, LLC is the producer and publisher of:

Copyright 2008, Restore Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated February 15, 2008