New Canaan Library inches toward next step in construction plans
The next piece of the construction puzzle at New Canaan’s new library building moved into place on Monday.
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The next piece of the construction puzzle at New Canaan’s new library building moved into place on Monday.
"This is really a temple to learning for the whole community," said Executive Director Lisa Oldham. "We're moving a 1,200 square foot original piece of the original building to the western property line. It's super exciting because this signals the start of building the green."
This wasn't the original plan library officials had in mind. Oldham says they planned to build a new building and green space and tear down the existing library. She says ultimately, they decided to keep the front part of the original building, which was built in 1913, as a compromise.
"We have seen more than double the number of people daily compared to the old building," said Oldham.
But not everyone is happy with the new plan. The president of the New Canaan Preservation Alliance says they had fought to preserve the old building and although they didn't want to be on-camera,
they said they don't see this as a compromise, since they believe preserving it would have meant leaving it in its original standing place.
The green is expected to be completed by the fall. Once completed, the library will move toward fundraising to fix up the old building.
The property has been undergoing an update for the past two years. The new library building opened in February.
