Summary: The Crandall Public Library in Glen Falls, N.Y.—named the New York Library Association’s 2008 Best Library Construction/Renovation Project—reopened to the public on December 12, 2008. Ann Beha Architects restored the original 12,600-square-foot building, designed in 1931 by Charles Platt and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The design provided a new 39,400-sf expansion fronting the city’s main street. The addition matches the height and scale of the adjacent historic building and is conceived as a connector piece or “bridge” clad primarily in glass. A metal screen canopy cascading over the new entrance shades the windows behind and recalls Glen Falls’ magnificent waterfall namesake.

The well-defined historic rooms are outfitted with gas fireplaces, and the central skylight, blocked during World War II, has been restored over the two-story atrium in the historic library. The new addition, by contrast, features open planning with spaces that allow for flexibility and clear lines of sight, yet individual departments are given warmth and identity through color and light, the architect says in a press statement. The children’s space is more than triple the original size, and the basement level provides a large community room/theater for special programs and events, a gallery, and the Folk Life Archive and Study Center.

The project, designed to be LEED®-certified, incorporates high-efficiency mechanical systems; “daylight harvesting” through windows, with light monitors and an automatic control system to adjust lights to compensate only as needed; heat-absorbing roofing materials; recycled, salvaged, and recyclable materials on the new addition; and the use of locally harvested materials throughout.