Easthampton Public Library breaks ground on new annex at old bank building off rotary

Easthampton’s new library annex space, which will be housed in a building donated by bankESB off the downtown rotary, broke ground Tuesday evening. The annex will open in the winter, and the library hopes to eventually move entirely into the new space.

Easthampton’s new library annex space, which will be housed in a building donated by bankESB off the downtown rotary, broke ground Tuesday evening. The annex will open in the winter, and the library hopes to eventually move entirely into the new space. STAFF PHOTO/ALEXA LEWIS

Easthampton’s new library annex space, which will be housed in a building donated by bankESB off the downtown rotary, broke ground Tuesday evening. The annex will open in the winter, and the library hopes to eventually move entirely into the new space.

Easthampton’s new library annex space, which will be housed in a building donated by bankESB off the downtown rotary, broke ground Tuesday evening. The annex will open in the winter, and the library hopes to eventually move entirely into the new space. STAFF PHOTO/ALEXA LEWIS

By ALEXA LEWIS

Staff Writer

Published: 10-02-2024 3:37 PM

EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton Public Library will soon offer the community a new, renovated annex space that will host community meetings, events, computer classes, and fully accessible children’s activities thanks to the donation by bankESB of a former Bank of America building off of the downtown rotary.

Renovations of the annex kicked off on Tuesday evening with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by city officials and stakeholders, and the space is expected to be open to the public this winter.

The initial set of renovations is expected to get into full swing in the coming weeks, but they won’t stop there. Library Director Katya Schapiro said that the library plans to eventually move fully into the building at 52 Main St., but that move will require “more extensive renovations” that are expected to take a few years.

In the meantime though, Schapiro expects the addition of the annex to offer some much needed storage and meeting space.

“We’re crammed to the gills over there,” Schapiro told the Gazette at the ceremony, gesturing toward the library’s nearby current location. “Just the storage alone, just the fact that the staff won’t be sitting on each other’s heads over there… the possibilities are just rolling in.”

bankESB and the library have been in talks about the building for about a year, the donation of which bankESB President and CEO Matthew Sosik has described as a “no brainer” and a great way to support the library and the city. After hammering out what Schapiro called a “lengthy legal process,” they were able to officially announce the donation of the building last week. With the renovation and moving process finally moving forward at a steady clip, library staff are excited for a refreshing change of scenery.

“Easthampton has been really good about looking at progress,” said Schapiro. “We love our current building, but it’s definitely old.”

The beloved, historic building that currently serves as the library’s home originally opened to the public in February 1881, and has served the community dutifully since then. But, as with any aging building, it hasn’t been without its challenges. The building at 9 Park St. has undergone several major renovations over the years, most notably a 1930 basement renovation, a renovation in 1966 and a foundation repair in 2018.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Northampton’s Main Street redesign start pushed to 2026; costs climb to $29M as opponents press for changes
New digs: Innovintage Place moves to old Kelly’s restaurant in Amherst after six years in Greenfield
Pinball revival: City brewery new local hub for vintage arcade game’s return to the spotlight
UMass to give student $10,000 after half-court shot contest controversy
Healey eyes ‘housing abundance’ in statewide plan
Cause of death deemed homicide in case of New Hampshire woman found in Warwick

This August, the library had to temporarily close down because some neighborhood bats had taken advantage of inadvertent entry points throughout the building, in which they were later discovered dead. The bats were determined not to be a health hazard, allowing the library to reopen after covering up some of the bigger entry holes, but this wasn’t the building’s first encounter with furry freeloaders, and it’s unlikely to be the last.

Expanding and eventually moving into a new building offers a fresh start for the library. Not only does it provide more space for the library’s overflowing collection of books and other items, but it will also allow the library to coordinate meeting rooms for the first time, host more events and offer a level of accessibility that the current building cannot.

In a 2022 study of the current library conducted by Jones Whitsett Architects Inc. of Greenfield, it was found not to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although the building has a ramp outside, it does not have an elevator within and the children’s area is inaccessible to those who cannot use stairs.

Schapiro is hoping to hear in the coming months whether they were selected for a state building grant that would offer substantial funding and support for the former bank’s ongoing renovations ahead of the library’s big move.

“What it means in some ways is that we can move forward,” Schapiro said of the renovations. “These city projects can take such a long time, but I think things are going to be moving along pretty quickly now.”

DA Sullivan and Sons Inc. of Northampton has been selected as the general contractor for these renovations, and Easthampton resident Curtis Edgin of Caolo & Bieniek Associates, Inc. has been selected as the design consultant. According to Schapiro, the current goal is to get the building ready to host people and “create a bunch of open space” where they can gather.

Updates about the library and all of its events can be found on it’s website and in Schapiro’s newsletter, both of which are housed at ewmlibrary.org.