Topic: Columbus: Ohio State Main Library Renovation

[JohnOSU99]

I hope the real thing turns out better than the renderings:

Original Library (circa 1913):


Various Views of the Current Library (basically they just added a tower to the back of the original library):









Renderings of the new library (circa 2008):

[atlas]

I personally like the renderings.  The back addition is a huge improvement.  Currently, the back portion sticks out like a sore thumb because it was the third addition I believe, and is just pure concrete.  So anything new would be great for that part of the building.  Too bad I will have graduated by the time this thing is done!!!

[CleveChiNola]

The library reminded me of the Cleveland Museum of Art in the sense that they slapped on additions without thinking about the way the interior space functioned.
It looks like they may be trying to remedy that.
I guess I like it, the Neil side wasn't anything special.

[SarahBeth]

As long as it is going to retain its traditional look on the front (Oval) side, it's fine with me.  Improvements to the interior are another story - they are long overdue.  It's kind of scary and claustrophobia-inducing currently.

[Eighth and State]

Someone please enlighten me

    Is the second photo, with the statue, of the north or south side of the building?

     Is the addition on the north or south side of the building?

------------

    On another note, architectural renderings crack me up. It looks like the new library will be inhabited by ghosts.

[Magyar]

Someone please enlighten me:

    Is the second photo, with the statue, of the north or south side of the building?

     Is the addition on the north or south side of the building?

------------

    On another note, architectural renderings crack me up. It looks like the new library will be inhabited by ghosts.

I'm not following you here.
The statue (of Thompson) and the front of the library faces east towards High St.  The addition (the book tower) was to the back of the original building (or going west towards the Olentangy).

At least with those photos I now, after all these years, now know what part was the original library and what parts were the additions.  I could tell that the library was cobbled together over the years, but I could never make out parts came when.

[ColDayMan]

I'll take it!  And I walk past it everyday!

[Eighth and State]

I get it - the building runs east and west, not north and south.  I am not familiar with that area and I visualized it wrong.

   The new glass facade faces west, so it should catch the afternoon sun.

[JohnOSU99]

The new glass front will look a lot like the new Page Hall which sits across the street from Hagerty Hall.  I had my first class there (Psych 100) so I was a kind of sad to see them gut it, but the final result looks cool.

[SarahBeth]

About Page Hall - I was happy that they were keeping the facade, but now that I see the big glass cube sticking out of the back I wonder why they bothered... it looks kind of silly to me :/

[SarahBeth]

Page Hall gutted (summer 2003)



Recent pics from fall 2004:




The back:

[JohnOSU99]

I've never seen the back of Page Hall...and you're right, the glass cube does look odd.  The front of Page Hall looks awesome at night though.  I had no idea Page Hall was built in 1904!  I would have gone to class more often if I'd known that!

[OldMojo]

It must be obligatory to include a huge glass atrium in libraries nowadays. Vancouver & Salt Lake have similar designs, probably a host of others.

I've studied in libraries that had the older dark, cramped stacks as well as newer ones with the open floors. I'd have to say I enjoy the seclusion available in the former.

[Frank V]

I think it looks good.

[Paradox24]

I will have to join the chorus and say that the rendering definitely looks very good. Much better than the renderings that were floated around among the public in early 2002.


There are many things about this expansion plan I like, but I particularly appreciate the decision to preserve the stacks tower, an infamous OSU landmark. The renovation of the tower is also something to look forward to, considering that it has been a cramped, underappreciated space (with a killer view of the Columbus skyline) for far too long.

I suppose Oxley would be proud:

[Summit Street]

ARTICLE DELETED

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/03/07/story3.html

[buildingcincinnati]

From the 7/18/05 Columbus Business First:


Library overhaul poised to get state money for OSU
Jeff Bell, Business First

A new list of priority construction projects at Ohio State University shows there will be winners and losers in the tussle for its limited amount of development dollars from the state.  The $100 million renovation of the Thompson Library, the Columbus campus' academic centerpiece, is being targeted by university leaders as the biggest recipient of state capital money.

Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/07/18/story8.html?from_rss=1

[teebtong]

I'm glad they are renovating the tower. Not only is it underappreciated, and not only does it have a really good skyline view, but I know that a lot of new students (including myself last year) that thought it was off limits! I seriously didn't know that students were even allowed up there until fall quarter this year.

[Magyar]

I'm glad they are renovating the tower. Not only is it underappreciated, and not only does it have a really good skyline view, but I know that a lot of new students (including myself last year) that thought it was off limits! I seriously didn't know that students were even allowed up there until fall quarter this year.

For a time, only library employees were allowed in the tower (don't know when that policy ended. 1970s? 1980s?)
I think OSU finally took out the old peumatic (sp) tubes, for moving books, from the towers in the last 2 years.  I noticed them when I first arrived at main campus in 1999.

[buildingcincinnati]

From Business First of Columbus, 2/13/06:


OSU looks for read on library
Two key deadlines for $100M renovation coming near
Jeff Bell Business First

Ohio State University officials are eager to proceed with a $100 million overhaul of the William Oxley Thompson Library, but financial uncertainties still cloud the project's timetable.  At the heart of the matter is whether Ohio State can meet a fundraising target by May and develop a contingency plan should state funding for the project be delayed.

OSU Director of Libraries Joseph Branin told university trustees this month the goal is to seek construction bids in May and begin work on the 93-year-old campus landmark this fall. Three years of construction would follow, with the library reopening in mid-2009.  To meet that schedule, however, the university must land $5 million more in philanthropic support for the project by May, Branin said. That would boost pledges to $20 million, two-thirds of the $30 million goal.

The other $70 million will come from the state. OSU will receive $12 million of that total in the current fiscal year, but it is unclear when state legislators will approve a capital appropriations bill for fiscal 2007 and 2008, including the remaining $58 million the school is counting on for the library.

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/02/13/story1.html

[Magyar]

Since I venture to this part of the forum about as much as I venture to NYC (re: almost never), someone will have to tell me if you've started a thread on this topic already.

BTW, Is the Map (Collection) Room being sent to the Science & Engineering Library as I last heard? They sure as hell don't have room to hold it over in Derby (with Geography).

http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/02/20060702-G1-00.html

[buildingcincinnati]

From the 7/13/06 (OSU) Lantern:


Library to close in autumn
Librarians ready to move books to off-campus location
Abbey Wood
Issue date: 7/13/06 Section: Campus

Built in 1913, the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library has had two renovations, and beginning in September, it will close for a three-year renovation.  To make this happen, the 1975 addition will be torn down. Two atria, one flanking the Oval and the other Neil Avenue, will be constructed. Meanwhile, the original portion of the building will be restored to its original beauty while the tower will remain the central part of the structure.

Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2006/07/13/Campus/Library.To.Close.In.Autumn-2131527.shtml?norewrite200607131917&sourcedomain=www.thelantern.com

[buildingcincinnati]

From the 9/26/06 (OSU) Lantern:


Main library gets temporary new home
Former Long's Bookstore to be used for temporary study space
Whitney Zorn
Issue date: 9/26/06 Section: Campus
 
The former location of Long's Bookstore on the corner of 15th Avenue and High Street opened as a new study space Monday.  The university is using it as an alternative spot for students to hit the books while the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library, known as the Main Library, is closed for a three-year renovation.  "The first 10,000 square feet at the front of the building holds 150 seats," said Larry Allen, a spokesman for Ohio State libraries. "We plan to add wired computers and wireless access to the space."

Most of the materials from the Main Library have been moved west of campus to a temporary location at 600 Ackerman Road, and some are now at Sullivant Library at 1813 N. High St.  "We wanted to move materials and public service people first," Allen said. "Then we plan to move technical service people and administration out of the building by the middle of October."

The six-week long moving process is set for completion next week, he said. "As of now, we're moving on schedule," Allen said.

Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2006/09/26/Campus/Main-Library.Gets.Temporary.New.Home-2308527.shtml?norewrite200609281905&sourcedomain=www.thelantern.com

[buildingcincinnati]

From the 4/10/07 Lantern:


* PHOTO: Bryan Snyder, a project manager for the library demolition, looks down to the ground construction from the 6th floor of the William Oxley Thompson Library.  Media Credit: Shino Omura

Library reborn from rubble
Andrew Sharp
Issue date: 4/10/07 Section: Campus
 
A green wall of fencing spotted with "No Trespassing" signs wraps around a zone of destruction in the middle of campus, where one library is dying, and a new one is being born. More of the Thompson Library is hauled away each day, but project supervisor Ed Alford said more is happening behind those safety fences than sheer destruction.

He said the segment closest to the Recreation and Physical Activity Center that workers just knocked down was a newer addition built in the '70s. The workers avoided damaging the structure of the adjacent tower by making a cut to separate the two buildings. They were then able to knock down the entire newer structure. They were careful to avoid damage to the tower, especially to some of the original inscriptions the university wanted to preserve.

Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/04/10/Campus/Library.Reborn.From.Rubble-2832080.shtml

[Columbo]

A tradition that's all in the details
For nearly a century, the plaster grandeur of Ohio State's library has been in one family's hands
Monday, February 25, 2008 
By Kathy Lynn Gray THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Four generations ago, when Ohio State University's main library was being built, plasterer Seth Lincoln Pymer gave the building's most spectacular room its pizazz.  Now, 95 years later, Seth Edward Pymer is revitalizing that pizazz inch by inch as he retraces his great-grandfather's work and restores the Grand Reference Hall's majesty.

While most of the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library is being rebuilt to reflect 21st-century design, the Reference Hall will look the way it did when the Italian Renaissance Revival building opened in 1913.  When the four-year, $100 million renovation is complete, the hall's ceiling will once again stretch to 2 1/2 stories, bookcases will line the walls, long tables and hard-backed chairs will furnish the room, and ornate plasterwork will give it grace and style.



The library's Grand Reference Hall, which opened
in 1913, was built in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. 
Many of the original details were destroyed when the hall
was split into two rooms in 1966.



The Reference Hall is being restored to its original style,
including the ornate plasterwork on the walls and ceiling. 
Some of the original details near the ceiling have survived
the years intact.



Huge tubes control heat and humidity as a Pymer Plastering crew
works on the renovation of Ohio State University’s Thompson Memorial Library.


Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/25/PLASTERED.ART_ART_02-25-08_B1_OL9F004.html?sid=101


P.S.: It would probably be appropriate renaming this thread to "OSU Main Library Renovation".

[ink]

Awesome!

[kingfish out of water]

"TUBULAR," one might say.

[ColDayMan]

You got your wish.

[Columbo]

^Thanks.  Much appreciated ColDayMan.

Found the construction website for the Library Renovation at http://library.osu.edu/sites/renovation/. 

Its a pretty decent site with a webcam and tons of project renderings, plans, sections, info etc.  Here's a sampling...

[ColDayMan]

I love the Library!

[Columbo]

http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2008/04/07/Campus/Library.Project.Enters.PrePlanning.Phase-3307307.shtml?reffeature=htmlemailedition

Library project enters pre-planning phase
Jacob Donham, The Lantern
Issue date: 4/7/08

After its shut-down in September 2006, The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library has been partially shrouded behind large fences covered with green tarps.  With a projected completion date still more than a year away, many large-scale changes can no longer be hidden as the library prepares to begin a new chapter in its life.  "We're aiming to be all set for fall term 2009," said Wes Boomgaarden, Ohio State University Libraries communication officer. The project is on-budget and on-schedule.

The library is currently in the pre-planning phase for the move back into the building, Boomgaarden said, with construction finishing up in May 2009.  After construction, fire and safety systems will be tested and books will return following the 2009 Summer Commencement, Boomgaarden added.

The project will cost more than $108 million, making it the largest allocation of capital for improvement of an academic building on campus to date, design and construction, faculty member Scott Conlon said in an e-mail.  But students do not need to worry about picking up the tab, since "none of the cost of the project is coming from student fees," said library communication coordinator Larry Allen.  All the money for improvements comes from state allocations (nearly $78 million) and private contributions ($30 million).

Found the construction website for the Library Renovation at http://library.osu.edu/sites/renovation/. 

[DetroitZack]

Taken yesterday

[Columbo]

OSU renovation reaches final chapter
Gift lifts library to funding goal
$4 million donation from Athletics Department fills only remaining gap of $108.7 million project
Saturday, August 16, 2008 
By Amanda Dolasinski THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Thanks to another multimillion dollar gift from the Athletics Department, the $108.7 million renovation of Ohio State University's main library is now fully funded.  Officials announced the $4 million gift yesterday.  Together with a previous $5 million donation, the Athletics Department contributed nearly a third of the $30 million that fundraisers sought to upgrade the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library.

More than 2,000 individuals also contributed. The rest of the money came from the state, $70 million, and the university, $8 million. The library is on budget and will be completed next August, said Joseph Branin, OSU's director of libraries.


Caption: The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library has been closed since 2006 and is expected to reopen next August.

Click this link to see a slide show of the library: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/audio_slideshows/2008/08/library/index.html

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/08/16/OSUlibrary.ART_ART_08-16-08_B1_T0B1RT1.html?sid=101

[eastvillagedon]

all those changes look impressive; but a cafe?! When I worked there as in the 70's we were lucky to have a Coke machine in the basement. At least I don't think the person in charge of student personnel back then (historical note: before it was called "human resources")--Trudy Harless (aka Trudy Heartless)--can still be there! Can she??

[Columbo]

all those changes look impressive; but a cafe?! When I worked there as in the 70's we were lucky to have a Coke machine in the basement.

Surely you're not saying that today's college students are soft?