Dansville Public Library Addition and Renovation
Historic Memorial Building With Thoughtful Addition in the Heart of the Town
The Dansville Public Library is a community center dedicated to providing a place for residents to learn, study, and connect. The library offers the residents of Dansville and surrounding rural communities access to a full spectrum of resources, including books, periodicals, DVDs, and technology not available through any other source.
The existing library occupied 4,000 sq. ft. of space in the historic Shepard Memorial Building, a Greek Revival mansion built in 1824. As a result of increased demand for community library services, Dansville Public Library had an immediate need for additional square footage to help ensure that the community would have a library that supports lifelong learning for decades to come.
LaBella was selected to design an addition that would complement the existing library both aesthetically and functionally, while staying within a relatively restrictive budget due to Town tax implications.
We developed a design concept that could be achieved within a $3 million total product budget, as well as shared publicly for community input and support. In addition, we assisted the Dansville Public Library with holding public forums, grant writing, and securing funding that included a grant used for planning costs associated with the project.
The 7,200 sq. ft. addition features expanded collection space, additional computer workstations, small study rooms, quiet spaces for study and research, a meeting room for use by community organizations, and a dedicated local history center.
The expansion provides room for students and adults to research, work together in groups, or read quietly. The project also includes a more spacious area to accommodate the children’s collection and programming needs.
The expansion allows the Dansville Public Library to offer an improved quality of service through enhanced access to print, audio, video, and electronic resources; increased space for collections and programming; and the provision of additional resources and community gathering space.
