PRINCETON — Book ‘em, Princeton. The city’s new library is about four months away from its grand opening, and excitement is building throughout the community.
“This is our friend, Doug Freeman’s plan,” Todd Boggess of ET Boggess Architects, architect of the $4.1 million project said. “Doug envisioned a downtown revitalization project with the Railroad Museum on one end of North Mercer Street and a new library on this end with both structures serving as bookends of a revitalized downtown.” The late Douglas Freeman served as Princeton’s city manager until his death in 2005, and worked on the revitalization plan with a focused city council.
“Connie Shumate has been great to work with,” Boggess said. “Connie (director and librarian of Princeton Library) is just so passionate about the project. Mayor Dewey Russell and Wayne Shumate, city manager, have been right there every step of the way. Everybody has worked hard to make this a reality.”
Boggess said it has been a treat to remodel the former post office building. “(Alex) Mahood used a lot of Art Deco features in several of the buildings he designed in the mid-1930s,” Boggess said. “The post office had covered many of the windows and arches and it was beautiful opening them back up again.” Boggess said that the stacks of the library will be bathed by natural sunlight from the windows facing north on the building and added that the information center will have an “embellished Art Deco flavor.”
“We’ve all been working together on this project,” Connie Shumate said. “Todd (Boggess) and Jack (Fredeking) have been so excited that the excitement is infectious.” Shumate said the project is about $300,000 short of its goal, but the Library Committee members are still working hard, and she is planning for a June 26, grand opening.
“This is an evening we’ve been working toward for a long, long time,” Roger Topping said to an audience gathered in the lobby of the First Community Bank on Mercer Street. The bank hosted a wine and cheese reception as the community continues to “Open the Doors” of the new library. Jeffrey Greenberg, M.D., and his combo provided music for the reception.
“We’re very, very near the goal, but if you haven’t contributed, you can donate to the library fund tonight,” Topping said.
“Old Man Winter hasn’t chilled the warmth of this crowd,” Russell said as he spoke to the audience. He provided some information about fund raising, and pointed out: “This is a very important time for the city of Princeton,” he said. “This is a wonderful time.”
Boggess took the audience on a virtual tour of the new library and Shumate took people on an actual tour of the facility.
– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com
Local News
February 18, 2010
Public checks out progress at new Princeton Library
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