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Seminary library faces wrecking ball — and preservationists’ ire

By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
   The Princeton Theological Seminary is proposing to demolish and replace its Speer Library, but the Princeton Borough Historic Preservation Committee is not satisfied with the seminary’s reasons for wanting to raze the more than 50-year-old structure.
   The Speer Library is a two-story, 76,000-square-foot, stone veneer building that was constructed in 1957. It shares a 5.5-acre lot with the seminary’s Luce Library, Lennox House and a 175-space parking lot, which would need to be reduced by 65 spaces to make room for a new larger library.
   Bounded by Stockton Street on the northwest, Library Place to the southwest, Mercer Street to the southeast and Trinity Church to the east, the lot is located within the borough’s Mercer Hill Historic District.
   The committee said it considers the Speer Library to be a contributing structure to the Mercer Hill Historic District for its age, place in history, architectural features and historical connections to other facilities in the community. That view was put forward in a nine-page memorandum to the Regional Planning Board of Princeton. The board reviewed the seminary’s concept plan for the Speer Library on Sept. 18.
   Under the seminary’s plan, the new library complex would be 22,000 square feet larger than the Speer Library. The new facility’s exterior would be limestone and glass, accented with copper and wood and stand two stories near Library Place and rise to three stories.
   ”The committee is deeply concerned about the precedent of demolishing this historically intact structure and the effect it could have on other structures located within the Mercer Hill Historic District and on structures located in other districts in the Princeton community,” the Historic Preservation Committee’s memorandum states. “The committee reached a consensus that the applicant has not presented enough information to illustrate that the existing building cannot be put to a reasonable use, either as a library or other uses by way of adaptive renovation, rehabilitation, and re-use, or that its preservation and incorporation into a revised concept plan would create an undue hardship on the applicant.”
   The letter also states that no demolitions have occurred in the Mercer Hill Historic District since the district was created by ordinance.
   Stephen Crocco, the head librarian for the Speer Library and Luce Library, said the seminary had examined renovating the Speer Library and even hired an architect to do the work, but is now opting to rebuild rather than renovate because the cost of rebuilding is about equal to the cost of renovation.
   ”The building’s systems are all really in need of repair,” Mr. Crocco said.
   Leaking steam lines, an inadequate electrical system, a failing roof, asbestos-covered pipes and a lack of accommodations for people with disabilities are some of the problems with the Speer Library the seminary would need to solve with renovations, Mr. Crocco said.
   In addition to making these needed improvements, the seminary’s project is also striving to better connect the Speer Library to the Luce Library and to create a space offering many of the amenities typically found in a 21st century library or major bookstore, Mr. Crocco said.
   The Speer Library and the Luce Library are run by the same staff and their collections are contained in the same computerized catalogue, but the two buildings are only connected by an indoor bridge.
    “We always envisioned this project whether it was renovating our building (the Speer Library) or replacing it with a new building to take the bridge out and create a clearer physical connection between these buildings,” Mr. Crocco said.He said that creating linkages to the two libraries on every floor was one of the options the seminary was considering.
   The Speer Library currently houses the seminary’s general collection. With little natural light, it serves as more of a book warehouse than a library, Mr. Crocco said.
   ”When you go in the doors, there’s really nothing inspiring about the Speer Library,” Mr. Crocco said. “There are low ceilings. There’s nothing that symbolizes the vision we have for our library.”
   The seminary’s new building would include a variety of study spaces, including group study rooms, reading rooms, conference rooms, a café, areas for viewing DVDs and living room furniture. It would have high ceilings and atriums and offer high-density book storage.
   Another way the seminary plans on improving the library is through incorporating sustainable materials and features into the new building.
   ”We’re going to look at every possible method of sustainability that we can do,” Mr. Crocco said. “We have plans to capture rainwater and reuse it.”
   Mr. Crocco added that the seminary is also talking about making one of the new building’s roofs green, meaning that it will be constructed to support some sort of vegetation.
   Energy efficient mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems will also be utilized and the feasibility of using solar energy to power the building is being considered, Mr. Crocco said.
   The Speer Library, designed by George A. Licht and George T. Licht, was named after Robert E. Speer, a leader in the Presbyterian Church who was elected to the seminary’s board of trustees in 1914.
    Einhorn, Yaffee, and Prescott is the firm doing the design work for the new library. A name for the Speer Library’s replacement has not yet been determined, Mr. Crocco said.