Dimensions - September/October 2009 - 4
community welcomes New Library in Downtown Landmark Piqua Public Library Celebrates Local History Residents of the rural community of Piqua, Ohio, are enjoying the city’s distinctive new library, which recently opened after a painstaking renovation of a historic downtown landmark. The transformation of the 80,000-square-foot building earned a Heritage Ohio Public Improvement Award and is now serving as a national model for historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and Main Street restoration initiatives. Originally known as the Orr-Statler Building and later as the Fort Piqua Hotel, the Richardson Romanesque structure was built in 1891. The building had been vacant and in disrepair for many years and contained structural deficiencies, antiquated systems, and hazardous materials. With those complex challenges, along with a traditional hotel floorplan, the building seemed to hold little promise for use as a modern library. The city’s library committee was able to look beyond the building’s deteriorated condition, and envisioned a beautiful, welcoming setting for the library as well as the Piqua Historical Museum. Working with the team of PSADewberry, MKC Associates, and historic preservation specialists Jeff Wray and Associates, the committee sought to preserve the building’s historic highlights, which included a “women’s staircase” at the front of the lobby, the original balcony, and a backlit skylight. The basement level, with foundation walls constructed of stacked stone, made an ideal setting for a castle-like children’s area. The building’s lobby features a grand fireplace, restored sconces, and the original floor tile. Upstairs, a restored mezzanine offers comfortable reading areas. The first floor, with its elegant lobby and dramatic fireplace, now includes the main circulation area and space for new materials and media. The second floor houses more books and a technology area, with two former hotel rooms—required to remain in place due to their historic significance—furnished as meeting and business spaces. A large room with a turret is used as a boardroom. “We were experiencing a lot of space problems in the former library,” says Piqua Public Library Director James Oda. “We looked at every possible option but we just kept coming back to the old hotel. Sometimes you have to let your imagination soar. In many ways, with our focus on community culture and history, this building seemed like a natural. We’re primarily a library, but we are also promoters of community, culture, and history.” The turn-of-the-century Fort Piqua Hotel is now a modern city library. The building’s existing windows were preserved as is, with glass inserts added to create an energy-efficient thermal pane effect.
http://www.youseemore.com/piqua/
Dimensions - September/October 2009
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dimensions - September/October 2009
Dimensions - September/October 2009
Contents
Understanding Living Shorelines
Showcasing a Community’s History
Restoring a Landmark
Planning for a Pandemic
Fast-Tracking Solutions
Dimensions - September/October 2009 - Contents
Dimensions - September/October 2009 - Understanding Living Shorelines
Dimensions - September/October 2009 - 3
Dimensions - September/October 2009 - Showcasing a Community’s History
Dimensions - September/October 2009 - Restoring a Landmark
Dimensions - September/October 2009 - Planning for a Pandemic
Dimensions - September/October 2009 - 7
Dimensions - September/October 2009 - Fast-Tracking Solutions
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