When St. Joseph County Public Library (SJCPL) in South Bend, IN hired KBA in 2017 they were looking for a different approach and were unclear on the vision for the Main Library. At the time, they were struggling with getting city buy in for an $8 million dollar renovation to the existing Library. A thorough analysis of the existing facility and the community needs by KBA laid the the groundwork for this to become a much larger $38 million dollar project funded not only by the Library but also the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County and the City of South Bend (a completely separate entity from the library).
The vision set out by KBA incorporated a series of recommendations that focused on An Inviting and Intuitive Structure, Engaging Destination for Youth, Flexible Community Engagement Spaces, A Culture Center, and Civic Commons. Once the assessment was complete, SJCPL hired Robert A. M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) to further refine, plan and develop design concepts. The design reads straight out of the report finding/recommendations and incorporates 100% of the suggestions. The Main Library Block Project encompasses an entire city block and includes the renovation of approximately 85,000 square feet on the upper three floors of the existing Main Library building. It also includes the construction of a new three-story, 38,000 square foot Community Learning Center.
The building is currently under construction with completion scheduled for the Summer of 2021. The future Main Library and Community Learning Center will include a dedicated teen area, quiet spaces and more study rooms, updated Local and Family History space, courtyard and green space for community programs and private events, larger, more flexible and accessible spaces for community meetings, events, and collaborative work, expanded 250 seat auditorium, new public computer and digital lab space, and a larger children’s area with age appropriate zones and parent and caregiver resource space.
Project completed under Kimberly Bolan and Associates and led by Rob Cullin.
