By Dan Murphy
The public got a look at floor plans and the building program for the proposed renovation of the South End Branch Library at the fifth city-sponsored community meeting on the project held virtually on Monday, Feb. 10.
The plan for the first floor of the renovated, two-story library would include a 2,530 square-foot Children’s Area containing between 13,250 and 13,750 volumes; 34 seats, which would amount to a 6-percent increase from the old library; four AWE computer learning stations; and an area for tweens, a Story Time area, and an area for arts and crafts, said Claudia Porras of Boston-based Utile Architecture.
Additionally, the first floor would include an approximately 2,000 square-foot Community Room, with seating for up to 104 guests, sitting adjacent to the largely glass lobby facing Tremont Street, as well as study rooms, said Porras.
The plan for the second floor comprises an 830 square-foot Teen Area, with 3,000 volumes; seating for 10, which amounts to a 150-percent increase from the old library; and four computer stations, said Porras, as well as a 3,220 square-foot Adult Area, with 12,500 to 13,000 volumes; 32 seats, which amounts to a 20-percent increase from the old library; and 12 computer stations.
Moreover, the second-story floor plan also includes study and multi-purpose rooms, along with staff spaces, added Porras.
The renovated library would span between 15,500 and 16,500 square feet, compared with the 9,400 square-foot old library.
During public testimony, Stephen Morgan of the South End lamented that in the plans presented, the new library didn’t seem to directly interact with the adjacent Library Park, calling this a “lost opportunity.”
Brett Bentson, a principal at Utile, responded that one major challenge in designing the new library was its location within a flood plain. The new library’s first floor would consequently be elevated 30 inches above grade and accessible via a ramp, he said.
“We’re trying to introduce a lot of visual transparency between the park and library,” said Bentson, adding that the ramp would help make this connection.
Marleen Nienhuis, founder of the Friends of the South End Library and a longtime neighborhood resident, said she was extremely disconcerted upon hearing the plan to locate a composting bin in front of the new library.
“It’s not a farm; it’s a public library,” she said, adding that no community hearing was ever held on this matter.
Instead, Nienhuis suggested that the Ellis Neighborhood might be a more appropriate location for a composting bin, or a suitable location for an additional bin.
Another longtime South End resident, Ken Kruckemeyer, lauded the project team for the progress they’ve made on the design so far, but he asked what had happened to a three-story design option that the design team had previously presented. The third-story option had garnered some community support, he added, and it didn’t seem to “encroach” on either Library Park or the alley adjacent to the library.
Kruckemeyer also expressed concern that the edge of the library and the park would become “too cramped,” especially for someone attempting to navigate it in a wheelchair or with a stroller.
Bentson replied he would look into the matter and address this concern at a planned sixth city-sponsored community meeting on the project at an as-of-yet undetermined date.
The South End Branch Library has been closed since falling prey to flooding in September 2023, after also suffering an earlier flood the previous April.