The next chapter: Lombard library getting ready for big move to new building
After seven years of plot twists, Lombard's old Helen M. Plum Memorial Library will close its doors next month so books and supplies can be packed up and moved to a new and more spacious building on Main Street.
The sleek, two-story structure makes a big first impression near downtown Lombard. Clad in glass and steel, the northwest corner of the new library will function as a meeting and art exhibition space with views of Maple Street Chapel.
The current Maple Street library is set to serve its last patrons on March 8, bringing the construction saga one step closer to a conclusion. In a new wrinkle, library officials have not yet announced what will happen with the existing building next to historic Lilacia Park.
“It is a complicated issue,” library spokeswoman Sue Wilsey said.
The final $27.7 million budget approved for the building project includes $560,000 for the cost of demolishing a structure as old as the Maple Street library — it was built in 1963 and expanded in 1977. The Lombard Park District owns “air rights” above part of the library property.
“We're just kind of in a holding pattern for now until the two entities can come to terms and figure out exactly what's going to happen with the old facility,” park board President Dave Lemar said Wednesday. “If we are going to take over that property, we'll have to come up with some plans for it, but as of right now, we're just kind of in a holding pattern.”
Voters back in November 2016 approved a property tax increase for the library, but the project has faced repeated delays. Trustees originally planned to build new on the same site, but officials struggled to create a proposal that could pass muster with park district commissioners.
Their opposition stemmed from concerns that a taller building would diminish the beauty of neighboring Lilacia Park and deprive the horticultural display of sunlight. The blooming purple flowers are greeted every spring with a parade, concerts and the coronation of the “Lilac Queen.”
The park district also has an interest in safeguarding a coach house originally built as a part of the estate of Colonel William R. Plum. Upon his death in 1927, Plum, a Civil War veteran, bequeathed his beloved lilac collection to Lombard, ensuring it would be known thereafter as the “Lilac Village.”
Ultimately, the library board agreed to tear down the shuttered Mr. Z's supermarket to make way for a 50,000-square-foot building.
The library paid $2.295 million for the Mr. Z's property and $340,000 for a property at 425 S. Main Street.
Officials hope the new library will act as a catalyst for additional development along the Main Street corridor.
“Really, it's important to us to make sure that the community knows all that they're getting because it's been a long time, and it is an expensive project that is funded with taxpayer money,” Wilsey said.
The project will give the library about 15,700 square feet of additional space. A welcome area called “The Hub” will be stocked with popular materials and vending machines that brew coffee beans.
“It's one of my favorite places in the building because it's so open and the wood ceilings are just stunningly beautiful,” Wilsey said.
Youth services will be located on the first floor. An early literacy center is designed to keep “the little ones delighted and learning,” Wilsey said. The children's department also will have a garden on the south side of the building.
The second floor will house the library's adult collection, a computer lab, study rooms and space for teens to socialize a bit closer to Glenbard East High School. Cozy furniture will encourage people to curl up with a book in front of a fireplace.
“So much of the current library is in the underground area, and so there's no windows,” Wilsey said. “There's no light, and the shelves are not ADA-compliant as far as placement goes. We don't have a sprinkler system in place in this building.”
The Maple Street building is expected to close to the public at 9 p.m. on March 8. Library officials will then begin the process of packing and tagging materials. They've hired a company that specializes in moving libraries. Helen Plum also is extending the due dates on most items.
If all goes according to plan, the new building will be unveiled to patrons during an opening weekend celebration tentatively scheduled for April 22-23.
“We anticipate between four to six weeks that it'll take us to get back up and running in the new building and everyone acclimated,” Wilsey said.
She expects library officials will make a decision on the future of the existing property before completing the move to the new building.
“That's our hope,” Wilsey said. “We definitely want the focus in the community to turn toward the new library, and we hope that the community will be satisfied with the disposition of the current building.”