NEW LIFE FOR CARNEGIE LIBRARY
Left: Part of the project was the restoration of the
interior of the original building, including this beautiful rotunda which had
been covered over with a dropped ceiling. The original building has now become
public spaces, including reception and meeting rooms. The dramatic rotunda
measures 24 ft. 6 in. x 24 ft. 6 in. and is 26 ft. high. (Photo by Cam Tech
Photography, Richard Loesch, photographer)
Right:
The main entrance to the Old Carnegie Library’s neo-classical building, which
was built 1902-1906, incorporates two large columns with Corinthian capitals and
classical details. (Photo by Cam Tech Photography, Richard Loesch, photographer)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."
This elevation shows the original building on the right and the new
accessible entry (center) and the addition to the left. The detailing on the
addition is compatible with the original structure, although different brick was
used for the addition.
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.
This view shows the original building in the foreground, blending into the
addition at the rear (left). Although the architects used different bricks and
mortar to differentiate the new from the old and to show the history of the
building, the style of the addition fits the scale and appearance of the
original Carnegie Library. (Photo by Cam Tech Photography, Richard Loesch,
photographer)
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."
See details about the restoration in the May/June 2002 issue of
Traditional Building Magazine.
