NORTHAMPTON — The Planning Board has approved the site plan for a major renovation and redesign of Smith College’s Neilson Library, for which a groundbreaking is scheduled for Oct. 19 at 4:30 p.m.
“The library really needed to be redesigned,” said Dean of Libraries Susan Fliss.
The redesign, which will also include the nearby Alumnae Gymnasium, was created by Maya Lin, the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the design firm Shepley Bulfinch.
Lin, whose mother, Julia Chang Lin, is a Smith alumna, will be speaking at the groundbreaking. Lin has an honorary degree from the college as well.
While preserving the 1909 Neilson Library, the redesign will replace the 1962 and 1982 additions with “jewel box” wings, designed to maximize light. It will also feature construction of an outdoor amphitheater, and will connect the gym with the library via an underground tunnel.
The site plan was approved without controversy by the Planning Board on Sept. 28.
“It’s a pretty straightforward project,” said Carolyn Misch, senior land planner/permit manager for the city.
Misch said that because the plan involves an existing building, the review mostly looked at the technical standards of the project.
She also said that the board rarely considers the design elements of a project and if it does, it is typically in relation to how it might affect abutting properties or a neighborhood. The Neilson Library is surrounded by the Smith campus, so these concerns did not apply.
At the hearing, the Department of Public Works requested that a video of Green Street be made prior to the construction, and that any damage to the public way on and around Green Street be repaired at Smith’s expense. Misch said the request was made because construction vehicles will be traversing the street.
Fliss noted that Neilson Library has been closed since graduation last spring, and that the goal is for it to be reopened for the college’s fall 2020 semester. Neilson’s general collection has been moved to the recently opened Five College Library Annex book repository in Hatfield, but all volumes can be ordered through online requests. Fliss said that orders from the repository would be fulfilled within 24 hours.
As a result of the construction, the Young Library has temporarily become Smith’s main library. Fliss said that the redesign would not result in a reduction of Smith’s print collection.
A plan for managing construction noise has also been put into place, according to Smith.
Fliss said that Smith students when surveyed had indicated that Neilson was the most used place for studying, as well as the least well-liked. She also said that an app and website have been launched to help Smith students find places to study on campus and at the Forbes Library, with information about such factors as noise levels and the presence of vending machines.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com