Saint Louis
CitySide
St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors.
 New Market Tax Credits
to Rebuild Neighborhoods and Create Jobs
St. Louis Named Bicycle Friendly Community
St. Louis City Launches "Hope Is Moving In" Initiative
Schnucks Opens Culinaria Market in Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis City Garden Is a Big Hit
CIty Officials Hope Old Post Office Plaza Will Become the Newest Destination in Downtown St. Louis
CIty Officials Hope Old Post Office Plaza Will Become the Newest Destination in Downtown St. Louis
St. Louis Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Crews Install Performance Space at Old Post Office Plaza
Registered Voters in City of St. Louis to Receive New 'Notice of Election' Card Containing Sample Ballot
Fountains at Old Post Office Plaza Taking Shape
City Garden Unfolding on the Gateway Mall
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St. Louis Public Library Central Library, designed by architect Cass Gilbert in the beaux-arts neo-Italian Renaissance style, opened January 6, 1912, at 1301 Olive Street.
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The Great Hall of the Central Library, featuring original light features and fine art ceilings, was featured in the 2005 Renaissance Library Calendar as one of the 12 most beautiful and historic libraries in the world.
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Central Library: 'Central to Your World' Campaign Is Key to Maintaining Vital Services to St. Louis Region
by Betty Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), November 15, 2009 - Misplace a book or personal item and it's usually considered somewhat of a distraction in a search to locate it. Often, the search ends in frustration with the item remaining lost.
When that item is part of a rare book collection, the history of a major city, or items unique to a world renowned institution, not being 'misplaced' is a critical element in a master plan to update a library.
St. Louis Public Library officials say they are well-prepared to handle the complex task of removing millions and millions of books from Central Library before a major renovation of the century-old building begins in 2010.
"This is a tremendous project that has been many years in the planning," stated St. Louis Library Executive Director Waller McGuire, in a recent phone conversation.
In June, the Library announced a philanthropic campaign, Central Library: Central to Your World, to raise $76 million to restore and modernize the building to maintain the 'heart' of its service for generations to come.
On November 17, McGuire will meet with the Missouri Development Finance Board and present a request for $3 million in state tax credits through the Tax Credit for Contribution Program. "We are hopeful that they will support this project. It will really tie into our philanthropic campaign and private donations for the renovation," he said.
The downtown Central Library, located at at 1301 Olive Street, was designed by architect Cass Gilbert in the beaux-arts neo-Italian Renaissance style, and built with a $1 million financial gift by Andrew Carnegie. It opened January 6, 1912 with a collection containing well over 90,000 books. Today, the Library system consists of 16 branches and Central Library with 4.6 million items in its collection. In recent years, most of the branches have been revitalized and updated with state-of-the-art technology to meet the growing needs of St. Louis residents.
In 2006, the Central Express branch was opened in the newly restored historic Old Post Office, located at 815 Olive, to serve the growing downtown community. In recent years, residents have also rediscovered Central Library.
"We believe that our presence downtown has made a difference," stated McGuire. "It used to be that visitors traveled great distances to do research at Central. Now, we're seeing more young families with strollers and young adults who are very sophisticated users of the library. They remember being brought in as kids and are now coming in on their way to and from work. The usage has doubled to over 365,000 a year and now this building has become their neighborhood library," he observed.
McGuire proudly noted that when the Central Library reopens in 2012, visitors will have access to collections that were never available due to a lack of space. They will also be able to enjoy new services designed to meet the needs of an ever changing society. "We will expand with special rooms for rare book collections. Many of the books we have will be cleaned, reorganized and even digitalized for easier access."
He acknowledged that closing the building to the public sometime in the 3rd quarter of 2010 was a difficult, but necessary decision. It also made the restoration project more affordable. Library officials researched the cost of staying open and doing it in stages. They concluded that the risk of construction debris on rare books and potential damage to items unique to the Central Library was too great.
Initial preparations for the move will be handled internally by staff. An experienced company using special equipment will then be brought in for the demanding task of relocating the main collections.
McGuire stated that the renovation would require some sacrifice by library patrons. However, collections, such as the Genealogy, will be stored close by in a building owned by the library. In addition, services at the branch libraries have been expanded in preparation for the planned renovation.
That plan also requires locating 120,000 square feet of office space to store one of the world's largest collection of books. "This facility was built to handle the weight of these collections," stated McGuire. "We are hoping to find a building with close proximity to downtown so that the staff will have access to the collections. It's an unusual RFP, but finding the right building is a key element in determining the final timetable for the construction process."
McGuire said that Central Library was built by skilled craftsman and had largely been untouched since that time. "Acres of marble will be refurbished, original light fixtures will be rewired and rehung, fine art stenciled ceilings and stained glass windows will be restored and the woodwork polished and cleaned," he said. "It's time to give the grand old lady some care."
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