New Plan Adds Drama, Light & Space At Children's Library

Library Board Has Head Start on Raising Almost $1M for the Project

by Judy Silberstein

(December 5, 2007) What’s in the works for the Larchmont Children’s Room? An upcoming renovation will welcome “kids and moms and dads” to an expanded, light-filled space through a round glass tower that includes a vestibule, elevator and stairway lined with child-friendly cubbies. Redundant bathrooms and stairs (from when the room served as an annex to St. Augustine’s school) will be ripped out to increase space and allow for improved circulation and a better connection to the main library. There will be more natural light, courtesy of large bay windows; a special area for babies and toddlers; and better placement for computers. Outside, a new, wider “green alleé” will replace the alley for cars exiting the back parking lot, and a playful façade will hide the stark wall now lined with garbage dumpsters.

An artist's rendering shows the glass entry (far left), two glass towers (for more light and space) and the "peekaboo" façade as viewed from the back parking lot.

“It takes what is one off the drabbest parts of the community and celebrates the library,” summed up architect Richard Hein at a December 1 unveiling of the plans for members of the Library Board, their supporters and other potential donors to the renovation effort. Held at the home of Miriam Curnin, president of the Library Board, the event offered a first look at sketches and floor plans for a design that is still “under construction.”

Architect Richard Hein explains details of the plan.

A small task force (Library Board members Joan Mcfarlane, Carolyn Parlato and Maureen LeBlanc) has been meeting with Mr. Hein and Ms. Curnin almost every week since September to develop ideas gathered via community surveys and focus group interviews.

Also participating has been Diane Courtney, the library director. “It’s very exciting to be able to give the community more children’s services,” she said. “Cognitive research has shown that reading skills are acquired from infancy. This room will give parents the tools and opportunities to develop these skills in their children,” she explained. “And we think the entrances are going to be beautiful.”

The proposed floor plan breaks open the 1960s era "white box" with two large, light-filled bays (the one on the left is for a baby play area. A circular vestibule, at left, welcomes patrons coming from the main library, while a round glass entry tower (at right) greets those coming from the street. Plan courtesy of architect Richard F. Hein.

“We were looking for a library with more space to be able to expand our collection and bring the library into the 21st century,” said Ms. Mcfarlane. Another priority was more welcoming “portals” from the main library and from the community, said Mr. Hein, who characterized the building as a 1960s white box - “Larchmont’s own Siberia.” Other attributes sought by the focus groups and expressed in Mr. Hein’s designs were: welcoming, accessible, warm and fun.

Incorporating “green” building concepts was also important, said Mr. Hein. For example, the north-facing windows will let in abundant light but less heat (reducing air-conditioning bills).

All of this, of course, takes money – around $2.7 million in all. Larchmont Village and Mamaroneck Town, who jointly fund the library, are pitching in $1 million, which will go to infrastructure upgrades. This will include replacing the old, single-glazed windows and improving heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. The Library Board, responsible for raising the rest, got a major head start with a $700,000 bequest from the estate of Margaret and George D. Burchell, for whom the room will be named. (See: Larchmont Library Children's Room Will Get Major Redo.) They also received $50,000 from the Friends of the Larchmont Library, $25,000 in memory of Michael Coords, an eight-year-old accidentally killed by a school bus in 2004, and other major donations and pledges totaling over $400,000.

Leading up the fundraising effort for the Library Board is Carla Volpe Porter. “This library project is an opportunity to show what we care about – think of this as a holiday shopping opportunity,” she suggested to the large group at the December 1 event. By the end of the evening, several benefactors had "gone shopping" and "bought" naming opportunities for various parts of the renovated room. A number of naming opportunities remain, such as $30,000 for the baby area, $20,000 for a display case or $15,000 for a window, puppet theatre or set of computers. Smaller contributions are equally welcome.

In the next few days, the entire Larchmont community will receive a brochure that describes the project and offers additional opportunities to take part in raising the remaining $600,000.

On December 2, Library Board President Miriam Curnin accepted a $50K donation from the Friends of the Library Board presented by its chair, Stanley Futterman. Photo by Nancy Donovan.

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