St. Louis Gets $4 Million Gift Toward Central Library Renovation

Lead gift from Emerson will create a new atrium; total project $74 million

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 02/12/2010

• Library to close later this year, reopen in 2012
• Materials will go into storage
• Offices to move nearby

The St. Louis-based engineering and technology company Emerson  has pledged $4 million toward the renovation of the St. Louis Public Library's main library. 

Along with $4 million already raised, the library foundation is 40% of the way toward the $20 million private fundraising component of the $74 million project. The library is 190,000 square feet.

Most of the additional $54 million is expected to come through tax credits, state and federal grants, and other resources that can include bonds, library spokesman Gerald Brooks told LJ.

Renovation plans
The funds will support a new Locust Street Atrium added to the back of the building (pictured in rendering). “Our new Locust Street Entrance and Atrium, leading to the new Center for the Reader, are focal points in opening up Central Library and its collection to the public,” said Waller McGuire, the library’s executive director, in a news release.
 
Also coming are a doubling of the amount of space for public use, new children’s and teen sections, a new 250-seat auditorium, and a café. The building, which was designed by Cass Gilbert and opened in 1912, will receive a full retrofit of its mechanical and HVAC systems, seismic upgrades, as well as major restoration and cleaning.

According to the Post-Dispatch, the library's stacks are currently inaccessible to the public and are fire and earthquake hazards.

The renovation and construction should begin later this year and last 18 to 24 months, Brooks said, with a re-opening expected in 2012, along with the library’s centennial celebration. The building, along with other components of the system, was made possible thanks to a substantial gift made in 1901 by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

Emerson comment
“The St. Louis Public Library is one of our city’s most treasured and valuable assets, and the restoration and modernization of its Central Library is essential to the library’s continued success and service to our community,” said David N. Farr, chief executive officer and president of Emerson. “A reinvigorated Central Library also will play an important role in the renaissance of downtown St. Louis.”

Temporary status
During the renovation, the library’s administrative offices will be relocated nearby. The library’s contents—more than two million books, AV materials, periodicals, etc.—will be removed and placed in temporary storage. Some will be made available on request.

Brooks noted that the library's other 15 facilities, including four regional libraries and a nearby Central Express, will remain open. "Our hope is that the impact will be minimal," he said.