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After its shut-down in September 2006, The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library has been partially shrouded behind large fences covered with green tarps. With a projected completion date still more than a year away, many large-scale changes can no longer be hidden as the library prepares to begin a new chapter in its life.
“We’re aiming to be all set for fall term 2009,” said Wes Boomgaarden, Ohio State University Libraries communication officer. The project is on-budget and on-schedule.
The library is currently in the pre-planning phase for the move back into the building, Boomgaarden said, with construction finishing up in May 2009. After construction, fire and safety systems will be tested and books will return following the 2009 Summer Commencement, Boomgaarden added.
The project will cost more than $108 million, making it the largest allocation of capital for improvement of an academic building on campus to date, design and construction, faculty member Scott Conlon said in an e-mail.
But students do not need to worry about picking up the tab, since “none of the cost of the project is coming from student fees,” said library communication coordinator Larry Allen. All the money for improvements comes from state allocations (nearly $78 million) and private contributions ($30 million).
Visible from the outside, the addition of the west wing is the library’s most striking new feature. The cage-like structure will house a new café, multimedia space, rare books and reading rooms. The new addition will appear contemporary in form, without clashing with the original 1912 library building.
“We tried to complement the traditional style of the library with more modern elements. Instead of a radical A and B style, the [new addition] will be seen as a continuum on a timeline,” said Dave Lee of Acock Associates Architects, who worked on the project.
Students will find that old east and west pavilions, which formerly housed Brennen’s Café, a computer lab and office space, have been removed. Along with a careful cleaning of the buildings original limestone façade, a desperately needed face-lift, these factors will give the library a new look.
“The whole business about transparency, visibility and natural light and artificial light in the library are the big ingredients,” Lee said.
Upon entering the building, the visitor’s eyes will be drawn towards the large skylight atria that have been added on both the east and the new west side.
Overall, students will have a better lit, more modern environment with more seating.
Seating space has increased from 850 seats to 1791 seats in the new library, “giving the building over more to scholarship than to processing of materials,” Boomgaarden said.
The new library will also have a few surprises in store, including the new grand reading room restored to its original height with barrel vaulted ceilings and the transformed attic reading room which offers a birds eye view of the oval and surrounding campus.
Another perk students will encounter is a materials drop box accessible by car from Neil Ave. All of the windows in the building will also be new.
Other improvements include upgrading the building’s infrastructure, bringing it up to code, adding new larger elevators, removing asbestos and making it fully accessible to those with disabilities.
“The building was a disgrace, and now it will be a point of pride for the university,” Boomgaarden said.
Jacob Donham can be reached at [email protected].
