Information > The
Renovation of the Library
The Renovation Project
The Library has just completed a major building renovation
project that has provided a spacious reading room,
state-of-the-art collection storage, a classroom,
new staff and conservation workspace, and an exhibition
gallery.
The work took place in two phases. Phase I
included the construction of an addition roughly
in place of the existing garage and Print Room,
and extensive renovation of the connecting wing
(the Side Hall, the Reading Room, and the Reference
Room). Phase II encompassed improved lighting in
the New Library and the conversion of the North
and East Libraries into exhibition and classroom
spaces.
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Artist's rendering of the Lewis Walpole
Library, showing the planned renovation and addition,
as seen from Main Street, Farmington. |
Design of the new addition
The new addition has been designed to resemble
a barn, recalling the Connecticut tradition of connected
farm builidings while preserving the residential image and
scale of the historic Cowles House. Collections are
shelved on two levels, one below ground, and a custom elevator has kept the roof as low as possible. The Reading Room,
which shares the first floor of the new barn with staff
offices and workspaces and an area for conservation,
measures 971 square feet and easily accommodates up to
ten readers.
Environmentally sustainable
features
The building design and construction were planned to allow
the barn addition to be certified as a LEED (Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design) Building by the U.S.
Green Building Council.
- Selective demolition of building and site resulted
in 50% (minimum) waste (by weight) being recycled, reused,
or reclaimed instead of being dumped in a landfill.
- Stormwater runoff from roofs and parking areas were retained on site resulting in no additional burden
on municipal storm water systems.
- Heating and cooling for the new addition and renovated
existing spaces were provided by an energy-efficient
geothermal heat pump system.
- Building materials incorporated into the addition were obtained from producers who are as local as practicable.
Schedule
Construction began in May 2006, and was completed in September 2007.
Phase I: Addition and Connector
Phase II: Exhibit Space and Classroom
- May 2007: Demolition of interior
- June-August 2007: Interior construction
- September 2007: Exhibit space and classroom opened
Architects and Contractors
Artist's rendering of the planned
addition and renovation from the southeast
Centerbrook
Architects and Planners, LLC, were the architects for
the project.
PAC
Group, LLC, were the general contractors.
The Library from the south
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The Cowles House from the northeast
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Background
The Lewis Walpole Library's mission is
to carry forward the Lewises' vision of a vibrant center
for eighteenth-century studies and to participate as fully
as possible in Yale's educational and intellectual programs.
In recent years the Library found itself increasingly hampered
by the physical limitations of the building. Collections
were at risk from inadequate environmental control, and
susceptible to fire and flood. The readers were spread over
two small and separated areas, requiring the staffing of
two reading rooms and causing real inefficiency for readers
and staff alike. There was no dedicated classroom space
and, in fact, no space to accommodate a class larger than
ten or so. Exhibition space was restricted to a narrow hallway--and
this for a collection so rich in graphic materials. Staff
and workstations were wedged into every available spot,
including the garage, the tiny maids' rooms upstairs in
the Cowles House, and what was a passageway between stacks
and a lavatory. The need for renovation became more and
more compelling, and in 2003, the firm of Centerbrook Architects
and Planners was engaged to help the Library create a more
controlled environment for the preservation and security
of the collections and improved access for researchers to
the Library's materials.
Before beginning the design process, Centerbrook
held a series of workshops with a range of participants
to document the Library's goals and priorities. Representatives
from the Library's Board
of Managers, Lewis Walpole Library staff,
other librarians, students, scholars, and several of the
Library's neighbors walked the site together, discussing
key elements, views, and existing conditions.
The workshops and ensuing program consultation
with the staff clarified the Library priorities: preservation
and conservation of the collection, improved accessibility
to the collection for scholars, and the historic integrity
of the site and buildings. The 13,000 square foot addition
designed by Centerbrook includes a reading room for up to
ten visiting scholars, state-of-the-art collection storage,
and relocated staff and conservation workspaces. Importantly,
it also continues to allow public access to exhibitions
of the collection and house. The project has undergone many
reviews by the Yale Office of Facilities, the Lewis Walpole
Library Board of Managers, and the Yale Design Advisory
Committee. All three groups concurred--the new addition
should be designed as a durable, handsome, background building
to the eighteenth-century Cowles house.
The Move
In preparation for the move of the collection and the renovation
project, the entire building was documented photographically
inside and out by Phil Handler of Fly
On The Wall Productions.
The Print Room. Photograph by Phil Handler of Fly On The Wall Productions
 Boxed books
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Crated paintings |
Library staff worked throughout the winter
with staff from Clancy
Cullen Library Division and USArt to pack the majority of the Library collections to be sent
to storage. [click
here for more images of the move]
State
archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni led a team from the
Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (FOSA), who packed
the contents of the Day-Lewis Museum, which houses
Native American artifacts excavated on the property. Another
team from FOSA excavated test pits in the area between the
Day-Lewis Museum and the site of the new addition to check
for artifacts.
checking for artifacts
Construction Completed
New addition, from Main Street
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New entrance
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Addition and new entrance, from Root House Terrace
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New entrance, side view
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New addition, side view
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Courtyard
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New Reading Room, looking west
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New Reading Room, looking east
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Reception, with portrait of W.S. Lewis
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Reception, with landscape view
of Strawberry Hill over mantel
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Exhibit space, formerly the North Library and Manuscript Room
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Long Hall
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More Images
For more images of the move [click
here for pictures]
For images of construction phases of the project:
More Information
For more information, please contact
Margaret K. Powell, Librarian
860-677-2140
walpole@yale.edu
In the news:
Prochaska, Alice, and Margaret Powell. "The Lewis Walpole Library Reopens." Nota Bene, 22:2 (Fall 2007).
Goldberg,
Ross. "Commission Approves Renovation Plans to Library
After Month-long Deadlock." Yale Daily News,
11 April 2006.
Goldberg,
Ross. "Univ. Presents Library Plans." Yale
Daily News, 7 April 2006.
Seay, Gregory. "Walpole Library Project Advances." Hartford Courant, April 18, 2006, Connecticut section.
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