St. Joseph County Public Library
Capital Improvements Plan - Phase II
2006 - 2010

Main Library Expansion
Feasibility Studies
January 22, 2007
Main Library Expansion Feasibility Studies

Below as Adobe PDF files are the preliminary conceptual drawings of seven possible ways to expand and reorganize the service areas of the Main Library to meet the requirements of the Main Library's Building Program approved by the Library Board on December 11, 2006. These are very preliminary first attempts at this by the architects, Engberg Anderson Design Partnership, Inc., in association with The Troyer Group, Inc. A brief description of each option is below, followed by links to the preliminary drawings for each of the seven possible options:

Main Existing Plans:
The first set of plans, titled "Main Feasibility Existing", shows the current layout of each floor of the Main Library and its patron parking lot. These two drawings show where everything is located right now so that one can compare what is with what might be:

Option - 1A Plans:
Because the Main Library was built in 1960 and expanded in 1990 to hold a fifth floor, the first option for expansion, titled "Main Feasibility Option-1A," shows the possibility if a fifth floor were to be added to the Main Library (Lower or First Level, Street or Second Level, Mezzanine or Third Level, 3rd Floor or 4th Level, and a new 5th Level.) The file has three sheets, the first showing the first two levels, the lower level and the 2nd or Street Level; the second showing two levels, the Mezzanine or 3rd Level and the 4th Level, and the third sheet showing the new 5th Level. Do not be too concerned just yet about where each department and its adjacencies appear to be on this option, or on any of the other options. Some options do not reflect the approved Building Program, but it is possible to change these. This is a first stab at fitting the required square footages of the Building Program for each department into what would be available space on each level while maintaining some of the required relationships.

The entrance to the Main library under Option-1A would be relocated to the south end of the building where the Main Library parking area is right now. The present entrance on Main Street would be closed. The new parking garage would be south of the present building and would span from Main Street to Michigan Street along Western Avenue and would be ramped with two levels to achieve the Building Program requirement of 220 parking spaces. The entrance and exit to the garage would probably be from Western Avenue to keep traffic between the garage and the Main Library entrance to a minimum. The new road separating the garage from the Main Library building, which the architect called "Library Lane," would be primarily for pedestrian traffic, but might include a drop-off curb cut or a few short-term,15 minute parking spaces.

This plan could be accomplished without the purchase of additional real estate or perhaps only a small strip of real estate might need to be purchased from the City's Department of Redevelopment. The Business Communications Center and Rollie Williams Paint Store, which the Library owns, would probably be demolished or might be relocated somewhere under the second level of the new parking garage.

This Option - 1A would be the least expensive method of expansion. One of the reasons for this is that it would not require the library to close the north-south alley and relocate all the utilities buried under it. The estimated costs for moving electrical, gas, fiber optic, and other utilities, including two large electric transformers at the edge of the present Library patron parking lot, would be in excess of $1,000,000. Still, none of these options is as low as we originally estimated. Moving everything around and turning the building upside down as the staff and public seem to want as a result of our staff surveys and focus group session have necessitated a lot more remodeling and renovation of existing space than what was originally estimated in the Long Range Planning budget. Building another floor on top of the existing building would probably necessitate the closing or relocation of most of the Main Library services for the entire construction period (about 18 months) because of the construction that would be taking place overhead to create the 5th Level. This could be a very dangerous situation for pedestrians around the building unless special safety precautions in site preparation are taken. Even though it is the least expensive option, this could cost over $25,000,000 because of the remodeling and renovation of existing space. New furnishings throughout the expanded Main Library building and new, lower 84" shelving units, replacing all our 90" shelving units, will also add to these costs.

Where would Main Library's collections, staff and services go for the 18-month construction period? The Library may be able to get most public services into two levels of the present Gates building on Western and Main Street, which is available or soon will be, but it would be a tight fit and preparing that building for staff and public occupancy could be very expensive since the building has no public elevators and would probably require more restrooms, some paint and decent carpeting, and of course there are moving out and moving in expenses . Parking would not be a problem since the Gates lot has more surface parking than what the Main Library has now.

Option - 2A Plans:
The second option, titled "Main Feasibility Option-2A," shows a possibility if new space is added to the south of the present building (over what is now the patron parking lot) on the street Level and on the Mezzanine Level. The file has two sheets, the first showing the first two levels, the Street Level and the Mezzanine Level. The ceiling in the new section at the street level could be higher than what is under the present Mezzanine, raising the new extension of the Mezzanine Level a few feet. If this is done, the space between the present Mezzanine and the new space at that level could be ramped gently up from Mezzanine Level to the new space at that level. The extended building would probably not have any new basement space but would be built at grade.

The new entrance to the Main Library would be through a large, double-sided vestibule or public thoroughfare that includes a cafe, with one side of the vestibule facing Main Street and the other side, the new parking garage. The new Sights & Sounds area would be to the south on the present patron parking lot. The new parking garage would be two stories high. Children's Services would be above Sights & Sounds at the Mezzanine Level. The new parking garage would be to the southeast where the present staff parking and the Rollie Williams Paint Store and Business Communications store are now located. The two stores could be relocated at some point on Michigan Street under the new parking structure. The new parking structure may also allow underground utilities to remain where they are under the present north-south alley and the expense of moving them would be avoided.

This option would require the purchase of Redevelopment land and possibly the former Avon Theatre as well. Redevelopment will probably require retail space at the street level on Michigan Street below the garage space as they have done so with other new gagage structures in the downtown area. This option is a more expensive than Option 1A, possibly in the $30,000,000 to $35,000,000 range, but we are not sure of any numbers yet.

Option - 2B Plans:
The second option, titled "Main Feasibility Option-2B," shows the possibility if new space is added to the south and east of the present building (over what is now the patron parking lot and north portion of the staff parking lot) on the Street Level and on the Mezzanine Level. The file has two sheets, the first showing the first two levels, the Street Level and the Mezzanine Level. The ceiling in the new section at the street level could be higher than what is under the present Mezzanine, raising the new extension of the Mezzanine Level a few feet. If this is done, the space between the present Mezzanine and the new space at that level could be ramped gently up from Mezzanine Level to the new space at that level. The extended building would probably not have any new basement space but would be built at grade.

The new entrance to the Main Library would again be through a large, double-sided vestibule or public gallery that includes a cafe, with one side of vestibule facing Main Street and the other side, going into the new parking garage side. Children's Services would be on the ground level and Non-Fiction and Teens at the Mezzanine level over what is now the patron parking lot. The new parking garage would be to the southeast where the present staff parking lot and the Rollie Williams Paint Store and Business Communications store are located. Again, the two stores could be relocated at some point on Michigan Street under the new parking structure.

Because the building extends over the North-South Alley, the alley will have to be closed and its underground utilities moved. The new L-shaped, one-way alley allows easy access to the Library's garage and a drive-up book drop. The white rectangular shape running along Michigan Street is retail stores that a private developer could provide. This option would require the purchase of Redevelopment land and the former Avon Theatre as well. A provate developer would develop retail space on Michigan Street in front of or below the library's garage space. This option is a more expensive than Option 1A, possibly in the $30,000,000 to $35,000,000 range, but again, we are not sure of any numbers at this point in time.

Option - 3 Plans:
The third option, titled "Main Feasibility Option-3," shows the possibility if new space is added to the east of the present building along Wayne and Michigan Streets at the street level and at the Mezzanine level. This document has two sheets, the first showing the first two levels, the Street Level and the Mezzanine Level. Once again, the ceiling in the new section at the street level could be higher than what is under the present Mezzanine, raising the new extension of the Mezzanine Level a few feet. If this is done, the space between the present Mezzanine and the new space at the that level could be ramped gently up from the Mezzanine level to the new space. The extended building would probably not have any new basement space but would be built at grade.

The new entrance to the Main Library would again be through an entry lobby on the south side of the building opposite the parking garage and would be at the center of the building. This is about where the north-south alley is now located and is similar to Option 1-A, but more centered on the building. Children's Services would be to the left or on the east side as one entered from the south and would comprise much of the new building space at the street level. The entrance to the library's garage would be on Wayne Street and out of the way of pedestrians coming into the building, again where the present north-south alley is located. Above Children's Services on the Mezzanine level would be new space for the Non-Fiction collection, the Technology Center, and a Quiet Study area. A courtyard would fill the center space between the new and old buildings and these would be connected at the Mezzanine level by two bridges or passages. The expanded section of the new building would have no basement.

The new parking garage would be to the south of the Main Library and would run from Main Street to Michigan Street with probably an entrance off of Western Avenue. This would require the demolition of the Rollie Williams Paint Store and Business Communications store. The two stores could be relocated at some point on Michigan Street, Western Avenue or Main Street, depending on where the garage ramp to the second level is located. Because the new section of the building and the new garage extend over the North-South Alley, the alley will have to be closed and its underground utilities moved. The new road separating the garage from the south side of Main Library building, which like Option 1A might be called "Library Lane," would be primarily a pedestrian traffic, but might include a drop-off curb cut or a few short-term,15 minute parking spaces. This option would require the purchase of not only Redevelopment land and the former Avon Theatre but also all the real estate along Wayne and Michigan Streets. The utilities in the north-south alley would have to be moved.

This option is a more expensive than Option 1A or 2A, and could be as high as $30,000,000. The planning team at the end of the January 4th meeting agreed that this
scheme has the best overall fit to the Building Program of all six expansion and remodeling options that the planning team saw. The team also decided to keep Scheme 2B in the event that additional property along Wayne Street could not be acquired by the Library.

Option - 4 Plans:
The fourth option, titled "Main Feasibility Option-4," also shows a possibility if new space is added to the east of the present building along Wayne Street and Michigan Street at the street Level and at the Mezzanine Level. This document has two sheets, the first showing the first two levels, the Street Level and the Mezzanine Level. Once again, the ceiling in the new section at the street level could be higher than what is under the present Mezzanine, raising the new extension of the Mezzanine Level a few feet. If this is done, the space between the present Mezzanine and the new space at that level could be ramped gently up from Mezzanine Level to the new space at that level. The extended building would probably not have any new basement space but would be built at grade.

Like Option 2B, the new entrance to the Main Library would be through a large, double-sided vestibule or public gallery, with a cafe and with one side of vestibule facing Wayne Street and the other side facing the parking garage and Western Avenue, and would go right into the new parking garage. Children's Services would be on the ground level and Sights & Sounds and Teens on the new Mezzanine level. Children's Services would be to the right or east side as one entered from the south and would comprise much of the new building space at the street level. The entrance to the library's garage would be off of Wayne Street, again away from pedestrian traffic entering the library and where the present north-south alley is located.

Above Children's Services on the Mezzanine Level would be new space for the Non-Fiction collection, the Technology Center, and a Quiet Study area. The expanded section of the new building would have no basement. The new parking garage would be to the southeast of the Main Library where staff parking and the Business Communications /Rollie Williams Paint store are now located, and would run from Main Street to Michigan Street with probably an entrance off of Western Avenue. This would require the demolition of the Rollie Williams Paint Store and Business Communications store. The two stores could be relocated at some point on Michigan Street, Western Avenue or Main Street, depending on where the garage ramp to the second level is located. Only the north end of the North-South Alley will need to be closed under this scheme, but the alley will still have to be closed and its underground utilities moved at that point.

A new L-shaped like Option 2B will provide drop off access to the front door from both Western Avenue and Michigan Street. This option would require the purchase of not only Redevelopment land and the former Avon Theatre but also all the real estate along Wayne and Michigan Streets. The utilities in the north-south alley would have to be moved at the north end of the alley. In terms of costs, this option is probably the same as Option 3, but again we are not certain about the numbers at this point.

Option - 5A Plans and Option - 5B Plans
The fifth option, titled "Main Feasibility Option-5A," is the most ambitious and the most expensive of the six options because it completely replaces the present Main Library building with a new building of about 130,000 sq. ft. The architect is projecting that an entirely new building designed from the ground up with the Building Program objectives in mind, would not be hindered by the restrictions of an existing, older building and could achieve a much better gross-to-net square footage ratio with more usable space and therefore would actually requiring less space to achieve the same results.

The building would occupy all of the real estate east of the north-south alley from Wayne Street to Western Avenue and would front Michigan Street along that entire block. While the plan has not been fully developed and does not show the breakdown of departments square footages and adjacencies, this option offers some interesting advantages. Those advantages include the following:

  • The present Main Library and its surface parking lot could remain open and functioning during the entire construction period (except for the two week or three week period required for the move from the old to the new building). Public and staff could literally watch the building go up from the present Main Library windows not have the disruptions of services to the patron and to the staff during the long construction period;
  • The new building could be designed to meet all the requirements of the building program in a much better and easier way than the old building could do;
  • The new building would have an impressive presence along Michigan Street and could be seen from St. Joseph Street by traffic going north;
  • The new building could bring new vitality to the south side of Michigan Street, tying the pedestrian corridor from Colfax Avenue, the theatre and the restaurant districts, to South Michigan Street. It could have the effect of revitalizing that whole area around the Main Library;
  • The large space in front of the library on Michigan Street could be used at times for special library events and for participation of the Main Library with other large downtown events, such as Art Beat;
  • The new building would face east and south and could take advantage of a more daylight coming into the center and whole length of the new building. Under this plan, the new parking garage would be built after the new Main Library was completed and the old building was demolished. The present patron parking lot could be converted into a downtown park to complement the new Main Library.

This option would require the purchase of additional real estate along Wayne and Michigan Streets. The utilities in the north-south alley would not have to be moved, eliminating one of the major expenses.

Option 5A and 5B were the most expensive of the six options and each was estimated to cost over $40,000,000, more than double what was originally projected for the Main Library expansion a year ago in the Long Range Capital Improvements Program.

Options 3 and 5A, the planning team recommended to the Library Board, required much more definition and study to see how each met the requirements of the building program. The planning team was authorized by the Library Board on January 22, 2007 to pursue Options 3 and 5A in the Schematic Design phase since, of all seven Options, these two appeared to meet most of the requirements of the Main Library Building Program.

One concern about Option 5A was that the building might be too long and narrow. As originally conceived, it had only two levels, a ground level and a second story level, with no basement. On the other hand, two levels might significantly reduce the number of service points needed and this translated into significant savings in staffing. Much lower utility costs with entirely new construction might also be a significant factor over the long term. The space allocations and adjacencies need to be tweaked so they come closer to what the building program required. These were only the first attempts to solve what is a very difficult and complicated problem of coordinating all of the services that go on at Main Library and meeting all the needs of each department and the public they serve.

Because of the much higher projected costs associated with this project and the impact this would have on the Library's property tax rate and because the Library had not yet acquired the real estate necessary to achieve what appeared to be the best options, at its meeting on January 22, 2007 the Library Board agreed to begin the Schematic Design phase with the further development of Options 3 and 5A in order to have a better understanding of what would be needed and which expansion options might work best for the Library over the long term. The Board also accepted the advice of the Director and the planning team to delay the expansion and renovation of the Main Library by seven to ten years.

The Main Library Expansion Project, therefore, has been dropped from the Library's current Long Range Capital Improvements Plan for 2005 through 2009, at least for the time being, and will be reconsidered for inclusion in the next five-year capital improvements plan that will cover the years 2010 through 2014. Meanwhile, the Library will continue to pursue the acquisition of additional real estate adjacent to the Main Library to ensure its ability in the future to expand in the most economical and effective way possible. The Libary will also begin later this year a fund raising campaign with the private sector to help fund some of the costs of the future Main Library expansion.

The following links will open the Adobe PDF files for each the seven options of the feasibility study for expanding and reorganizing the Main Library:

Other Information about Main Library Expansion: