by ArchitectureWeek

The newest find in this charming Southern city is one of its oldest buildings. On April 9, the Bull Street Main Library in Savannah, Georgia's Victorian district reopened after renovation and expansion by the New York firm of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates (HHPA) and the Savannah firm of Cogdell & Mendrala Architects.

The neoclassical main library originally opened in 1916 through funding primarily from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. Subsequent improvements included a 1936 stack addition and a 1966 concrete-block addition that doubled its size to 32,500 square feet (3020 square meters). It is the largest facility of the Chatham-Effingham-Liberty (CEL) Regional Library System.

HHPA developed a design that increases the library by 34,000 square feet (3160 square meters) and reconfigures the existing spaces to accommodate new technology and expanded collections. Patrons enter through the original Carnegie entrance, which is now fully accessible to the physically challenged. Its interior has been reorganized to house services appropriate to the classically styled spaces. At ground level, the former checkout area has been returned to a skylit grand foyer with public meeting spaces and an expanded Georgia history and genealogy department.

All historic spaces were enhanced with new architectural finishes appropriate to the period in which the library was built. A historic tile floor in the circulation space was uncovered and restored. To be compatible with the Carnegie structure, the new two-story addition is clad in cubic blocks of Georgia marble.

To improve its collections, nearly $4.5 million was invested in new materials and technology, with more than 100,000 new volumes, 64 public Internet access stations and 32 computers throughout the facility. The CEL Library System is a major cultural resource to its southern Georgia citizenry. The improved Bull Street branch continues to deliver traditional services, as well as meet future needs well into the 21st century.

Savannah's neoclassical 1916 Bull Street Main Library was reopened last month after renovation and expansion. Photo: Robert Batey Improvements included restoring an original light well in the grand foyer that had been closed for decades and reinstalling its original wrought-iron railing. Photo: Robert Batey Extensive fenestration and clerestory windows maximize natural light and provide views of the adjacent park and the city down oak-lined 36th Street. Photo: Robert Batey