2 days Ago By Kate Giammarise
A multi-year, $21 million major renovation and modernization of the Braddock Carnegie Library is nearing completion, according to library officials. When fully finished, the 136-year-old building will have upgraded HVAC and electrical systems, refinished floors, new windows, an elevator, and a fully-refurbished 480-seat auditorium. The former swimming pool — which had been shuttered for many years — will be reborn as “The Book Dive” event space.
The library’s main entrance will now be accessible to handicapped patrons. “I'm hoping the community is as pleased with the building as we are,” said Vicki Vargo, executive director of the Braddock Carnegie Library Association , speaking Monday in the historic structure, as some construction was still ongoing. “This was a labor of love.
” Volunteers will begin to move books back into the building next week; the library has been operating out of other locations since May 2021. Furniture will be delivered later this month, Vargo said, and the main circulation desk will be installed in April or May. The castle-like structure at 419 Library Street in Braddock was the first library built in the United States by famed library philanthropist and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie .
It closed its doors in the 1970s, but was reopened by a community effort in 1983. In addition to books and other traditional library materials, it offers a ceramics studio, print shop, and a third-floor basketball gym. The years-long project was a major undertaking; renovation plans were first unveiled in 2019 .
Much of the prior improvements to the building had been made in a piecemeal fashion. “I fielded questions like, ‘Well, why do you need to renovate? It's fine the way it is.’ Well, no, it's not.
It will not last into the future,” Vargo said. “And if we want it to be here as a mainstay for future generations, then yes, it needed this renovation.” Many of the renovations will represent major improvements — the building will now be air conditioned during the summer, Vargo said, which will represent a major upgrade, particularly in the gymnasium area.
There will be an elevator, which will aid any patrons with mobility issues, parents with strollers (the children’s area is on the second floor), and help staff who need to move books and tables. The building’s auditorium will be able to host free school and community events, as well as concerts and shows that can generate revenue for the library, Vargo said. Funds for the renovations came from foundations, government sources, corporate donations, and individual donations.
There’s still about $350,000 the library needs to raise to complete the project, Vargo said. A grand re-opening celebration is planned for May 22nd..
