By Sherry conohan
Staff Writer
The Murry and Leonie Guggenheim Memorial Library at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, will undergo renovations and construction of a new addition, as shown above, beginning in June.
WEST LONG BRANCH — The elegant mansion that became the Murry and Leonie Guggenheim Memorial Library on the Monmouth University campus will be restored to its original beaux-arts beauty and will gain more space to better serve students under a $14.4 million project now under way.
The work, which consists of construction of a new addition and renovation of both the exterior and interior of the existing library, was kicked off in style with a celebratory reception and groundbreaking on March 18 that drew Monmouth University officials, trustees, student leaders and supporters.
Rebecca Stafford, president of the university, said the library updating was the longest-running project on her calendar during her decade at the school.
"I looked back at my agenda in 1993 and on it was, ‘Do something about the library,’’ she recalled in addressing the assemblage. "I’m glad to get it finished before I’m finished."
The work will have been started, but far from finished, when Stafford retires as president on June 30. William C. Barham, vice president in charge of the project for Benjamin R. Harvey Co. Inc., of Ocean Township, the contractor, and also a Monmouth Beach commissioner, said the work would take 30 months, meaning the university is looking at completion in the fall of 2005.
Barham said an historic preservation project such as this takes more time and presents more difficulties than projects only involving new construction.
But, he said, "It will be fun. It will be a challenge."
"I hope it will be satisfactory to the university," he added.
Jean Schoenthaler, interim dean of the library, stressed that the integrity of the mansion’s original design will be protected in the makeover.
"It will be a combination of the old and the new," she said. "When the library is complete, it will be the flagship for information resources on the campus."
The university intends to keep the library open throughout construction.
"The library is the heart of our campus, and as such it must continue to fully function to serve our students, faculty and staff during the course of construction," said Patricia Swannack, vice president of administrative services.
Swannack said the most difficult part of the process was getting consensus on what the library should include and what growth it should plan for. Central to this was what delivery method should be used for library materials.
"Is it digital?" she asked.
With the new addition, the library will not only have ample room for its current collection but will be able to add an additional 100,000 volumes.
Swannack said another challenge in designing the improvements was how to marry the original 1905 mansion, the 1968 wing, and the new addition.
The architectural firm that came up with the plan that was finally approved was Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering PC.
Swannack said that in an effort to accommodate the concerns of neighbors, no windows were put in on the third floor overlooking local homes, and windows on the first and second floor were scaled down. In addition, she said, the entrance will be moved from the north side of the library to the south side
"Everybody is happy now," she noted. "It will be gorgeous when it’s done."
West Long Branch Councilman William J. Boglioli commended the university for working with residents and addressing their concerns.
"We appreciate their efforts to make everybody happy," he said.
"It’s a tremendous resource to West Long Branch and a beautiful improvement to the property," added Boglioli. "The university should be complimented for its efforts to preserve the building."
"They’ve really done a first-class job," he said.
Paul Doherty, chairman of the Monmouth University Board of Trustees, said that during the past decade the board had overseen the construction of residence halls and academic buildings and now was pleased to move on to improvements to the library to give students and faculty the resources they need to complete assignments and pursue independent research.
"This is a huge financial project," he said, noting the $14.4 million price tag. "Thank God, we have received money from the state and federal governments and the Monmouth University Library Association."
Monmouth University has received more than $2 million for the library from the state of New Jersey and $250,000 in federal funding, secured by Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. and Rush Holt, both D-N.J. In addition, it has received a gift of $500,000 from the Monmouth University Library Association.
"The library is going to impact the lives of Monmouth University students for decades to come," he said.
Joan Brearley, president of the Monmouth University Library Association, said she was thrilled and proud to be part of the groundbreaking and that the association would continue to raise money for the library with its annual Christmas Ball and Celebration of Trees.
"Students come here for knowledge," she observed. "We know it will be a success, and we look forward to its future."
Steve Chadwick, a senior at the university and president of the student government, said he has spent several hours in the library.
"Unfortunately, I’m graduating in May, so I probably won’t have the opportunity to enjoy the library" when the addition and renovations are done, he said.
The library project will be carried out in four phases. The first two — construction of the planned 19,575-square-foot addition and the renovation of the exterior of the Guggenheim mansion — are to be completed during the next 18 months. The third and fourth stages consist of renovation of the 1968 addition and restoration and renovation of the Guggenheim interior.
Murry Guggenheim was born in 1858, the third son of Meyer Guggenheim, a Swiss-born Jewish immigrant who came to America in 1848, and his wife, Barbara Meyers Guggenheim.
Murry Guggenheim was sent to Switzerland as a young man to study embroidery and lace manufacture, then joined the family lace and embroidery import business.
In 1881, Meyer Guggenheim became involved in mining and smelting, and the family moved to New York City where Murry handled and sold metals for M. Guggenheim’s Sons.
Eventually Murry became chairman of the finance committee of American Smelting and Refining, a director of Kennecott Copper, and, after the death of his brother Daniel, presided over the Guggenheim nitrate monopoly in Chile.
In 1887, Murry Guggenheim married Leonie Bernheim, a member of a prominent Alsatian Jewish family, whom he had met on a business trip to Switzerland. He bought a site in what is now West Long Branch in 1903 on which to build a summer cottage. The home was designed by the New York firm of M. Carrere and Thomas Hastings, who won the gold medal of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for 1903 for the building. Carrere and Hastings, proponents of the beaux-arts style, also had designed the New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.
The Guggenheims’ primary residence was on Fifth Avenue in New York.
Murry Guggenheim died on Nov. 15, 1939, but Leonie continued to spend summers in West Long Branch. After her death in 1959, the estate became the property of the Murry and Leonie Guggenheim Foundation.
The foundation first offered the estate to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, but the offer aroused a great deal of opposition from local residents who said they would prefer the estate be donated to Monmouth College.
The Guggenheim Foundation officially conveyed the eight-acre estate to Monmouth College on Sept. 9, 1960. After some modifications to convert the 15,000-square-foot summer cottage into a college library, the Murry and Leonie Guggenheim Memorial Library was dedicated on Sept. 24, 1961.
It was placed on the State Register of Historic Places in 1977 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.