Wisconsin: $29.5 Million Reconstruction of the Madison's Central Library Gets Underway

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

On Tuesday, Mayor Paul Soglin and others kicked off a $29.5 million reconstruction of the worn shell that will bring a glassy, modern facade, a third-floor, new technology, more natural light and public space to create a state-of-the-art facility at the corner of North Fairchild and West Mifflin streets.
The library will reopen in the summer of 2013.
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In 2010, the city was poised to build a new library at the corner of North Henry Street and West Washington Avenue as part of a public-private redevelopment, but talks with a developer collapsed and the city decided to renovate the existing, 47-year-old structure.
In 2011, Soglin shook up the process by demanding benchmarks from the private Madison Public Library Foundation on its $8.5 million in fundraising. So far, the foundation has raised $5.9 million, roughly on track with its benchmark schedule. Earlier this year, construction was delayed six-weeks because the project had to be rebid.

Read the Complete Article
See Also: Learn More About the New Central Library
Including a look at the final design in this PDF file.

Filed under: Libraries, Public Libraries