View of the Pond Road side of the new library, taken from a  construction  lift. (Courtesy photo by Charles Kronauer)

When the new library opens its doors to the public April 7, it will bring to fruition many years of effort on the part of the Library Building Committee, the architects, builders, and project managers who designed and built it, and an untold number of community volunteers and supporters. Members of the building committee hope the new library will take its place in town as an architectural landmark, and a community gathering spot, and a library that will serve the town well for at least a hundred years.

Pete Jackson, co-chairman of the Library Building Committee and a Bromfield trustee, has spent countless hours shepherding the building project from conception through the smallest finishing details of the final construction. His particular focus has been the restoration of Old Bromfield, he said during a tour of the building in late December. The new building has come together in a way that honors the history of Old Bromfield as a place of learning, he said, while incorporating the modern technology that will make it relevant for generations of library patrons to come.

A painter puts finishing touches on the library exterior. (Photo courtesy of Charles Kronauer)

Childs Bertman Tseckares, Inc. (CBT) is the architectural firm responsible for creating the bridge between the old and the new, Jackson said, with Richard Bertman as principal architect for the project.

Jackson credits CBT architects with an exceptional ability to listen as the building committee and library staff described their visions for the new library, and to design in concrete form the different requirements of all parties. Bertman, interviewed by phone January 10, was equally quick to praise everyone involved in the design process. “Good architecture comes from a good client,” he said, “It inspires you to do more.”

The design for the new building—and plans for the restoration of Old Bromfield—ultimately came together as the result of a very nonlinear process, Bertman said. That process combined the physical considerations of the site and the desire for warm, informal spaces looking out onto classic Harvard views. How to best complement the classic architecture of Old Bromfield was also a consideration, he said. Bertman said he feels that the design of the new building, while contemporary, adds interest and dimension without being overwhelming. “I feel good about the scale,” he said. “The goal wasn’t to copy the old building, but to reinterpret it.”

Entering the building from the new Pond Road entrance, visitors walk through a light-filled lobby flanked by a wall of Old Bromfield on the right, and a large foyer leading into the new library space on the left. Building materials are warm but contemporary: the informality of brick and wood contrasts with steel railings and numerous floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

Library Building Committee members inspect work on the interior. (Photo courtesy of Charles Kronauer)

Library Building Committee members pose in front of Old Bromfield.

Building Committee Cochairman and Library Trustee Roy Moffa, who has been with the project since it was first conceived, also narrated the building tour. He pointed out the circulation desk near the front door as well as the “grab-and-go” area that will hold new books and DVDs. Proceeding further into the new library, a large children’s section is painted in deep aubergine and mango, accented with maple bookcases. The best part of this new section, Moffa said, is the dedicated craft room that will allow library staff to host more art programs than they have been able to do in the past.

Continuing upstairs, both Jackson and Moffa pointed out the recessed lighting throughout the building, which is meant to be unobtrusive as well as thrifty: all of the lights are energy-efficient, and many are on timers that turn off when a patron leaves the room. Upstairs, the grand glory of the new addition is the gable end room, with a high bead-board ceiling and a glowing gas fireplace on the north wall. The room was designed so that people walking or driving on Mass. Avenue, Jackson said, could look through the building to the pond; the library was sited so that the large glass windows on both sides would frame pond and town views for those inside and out.

A tour of Old Bromfield reveals careful restoration of the details characteristic of both Queen Anne–style architecture and the ornamentation of buildings designed by Peabody and Sterns. “Restoration is almost the highlight of this project,” Moffa said, pointing out the effort taken to bring a large second-floor classroom back to its former splendor. Where the original wood trusses were once camouflaged by acoustic tile and rows of fluorescent lighting, the woodwork is now unmasked and refinished. The room, now renamed Volunteers Hall, will function as a meeting place for community groups.

Leading visitors through the state-of-the-art mechanical room in the basement of Old Bromfield, Jackson lit up as he described the process of engineering the hundreds of pipes, conduits, and panels that line the room. Sprinkler systems, two gas boilers, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and lighting control panels form a complicated maze hidden from ordinary view. “No amount of drawings can get this right,” he said. “You just have to get all the guys together and let them do the horse trading.” Jackson is also proud of the new genealogy room located right next door, with its climate-controlled atmosphere that will keep archival-quality materials safe in perpetuity.

Both Jackson and Moffa look forward to leading tours of the building in March, when the public will be invited to view the building in small groups. While tour dates have not been fixed yet, both men plan to widely advertise the event.

Librarian Judy Veno is also looking forward to the move. Because of intra-library loan programs, library usage—and book volume—has increased in the last several years, she said. “We’ve really outgrown the space here. We’re looking forward to having more workspace and being in a building that’s been so beautifully renovated.” Children’s librarian Abby Kingsbury said that she cannot wait to move her collection of books, puppets, and crafts into the new building, too. A former elementary school teacher, Kingsbury is in the process of formulating more book groups and programs for children and teenagers. The new space will allow her to be more creative and flexible, she said. Kingsbury is also working closely with reference librarian Lisa Gagnon, who has formed a Teen Advisory Board made up of Bromfield students. The board, they hope, will help them shape more programs of interest to older students, an often-overlooked constituency.

Director Mary Wilson hopes to bring in additional programs, like lectures, artist receptions, and afternoon concerts, possibly in conjunction with Friends of the Library. “It’s going to be a cultural and educational center,” Wilson said. She is proud of the fact that library construction is on time and within budget, and believes that the new building will function as a new community gathering place for Harvard. However, Wilson was quick to point out the groundswell of town support behind the effort. “Townspeople should be very proud of what they’ve done,” she said. “This has been about people doing something for the larger community: it’s our generation’s contribution to the town.”