Howell Carnegie
District Library
The firm Osler/Milling was selected from a field of over 70 architectural firms that applied to design a 22,000 square foot addition and to restore the 8,000 square foot original turn-of-the-century library structure. A major challenge regarding this commission was to preserve the cherished historical image of the existing building while providing an addition nearly four times its size. The expansion was to respect the original building without overwhelming it.
Internally, the building layout was influenced by the traditional cruciform plan of the original library structure. The circulation desk is centered along the buildings longitudinal axis and skylighted galleries lead one beyond it to the major library collections located in the addition. The exterior of the addition was detailed with materials that complemented those used in the original library.
