Library Proposes Estimated $2 Million Renovation of 1913 Building, New Uses Include Additional Meeting and Event Space

New Canaan Library is proposing a renovation of its legacy 1913 building to accommodate additional meeting space and group functions—a project that officials say is designed to meet an identified need in the community while preserving the historic structure and integrating it into the overall campus.

Rendering of the southern end of the renovated 1913 library building, the Bailey Stewart Terrace in the foreground. Credit: Amanda Martocchio Architects

In addition to getting modern energy-efficiency upgrades, the estimated $2 million project will see the 65-by-20-foot building updated with an ADA-compliant bathroom, kitchenette and multipurpose storage/green room that will require a modest 6- to 8-foot “bumpout” behind it (toward the back of the Gulf station), according to library CEO Ellen Sullivan Crovatto. 

“The legacy building was preserved and moved back on our campus during the building project in 2023, and it has been empty and unfinished since that time,” Sullivan Crovatto told NewCanaanite.com during an interview that also included Board of Trustees Chair Doug Stewart, Vice Chair Sharon Teles and architect Amanda Martocchio, who served on the building committee for the new library. “This capital project will rehabilitate and repurpose what remains of the original 1913 structure, and successfully integrate it both physically and programmatically into our library campus.”

The space could accommodate up to 90 people, she said.

Rendering of the renovated 1913 library building. Credit: Amanda Martocchio Architects

The library plans to file applications for site plan and Special Permit approval with the Planning & Zoning Commission ahead of its Dec. 15 meeting, Sullivan Crovatto said.

The proposal follows from a Community Needs Assessment that gathered input from a wide range of residents and stakeholders. Part of what came out of that assessment is the need for a flexible space that offers patrons access later than the main building’s regular operating hours and can accommodate the need for additional meeting space, among other uses, such as cultural programming, education, quiet use and social connection.

Rendering of the renovated 1913 library building. Credit: Amanda Martocchio Architects

“Overwhelmingly what we’re looking at is that people are really needing additional meeting space,” Sullivan Crovatto said. “Even though we are so well-equipped with our meeting rooms, we are really at a point of practical capacity most times… So we’re trying to be very responsive to that, and we’re also trying to be responsive to something that we’ve long seen and heard from our patrons, which is people want us to be open later. This new kind of ‘annex structure’ is going to allow us to stay open, let’s say, an extra hour later in the evenings without having to keep this entire building open. So if you’re having a board meeting or a nonprofit meeting or a community group meeting, we’ll give you the opportunity to be there later.”

The town ear-marked a $1 million grant for the 1913 library renovation following the organization’s request during the most recent budget season (see page 386).

The 1913 library building on Nov. 4, 2026. Credit: Michael Dinan

“Our goal has always been to supplement that with our own fundraising, and we’ve applied for a [$1 million] Connecticut State Library grant, which we expect to hear the results of by the end of this month,” Sullivan Crovatto said. “We’re also going to need additional funding at some level, and I think we’ve got some opportunities to do that privately.”

The library hopes to open the renovated 1913 building in late-2028, she said.

Martocchio noted that the “bumpout” behind the structure is designed to maximize the available space.

“By having the bumpout, we can have one open space from end wall to end wall, which gives multiple flexibility for various functions and uses of that space,” she said. 

The plans include a planted “buffer,” as exists now, between the historic structure and gas station behind it. A new feature of the 1913 structure is a plan for glass double-doors at its southern end, allowing for more natural light from the patio area named for the late Bailey Stewart and architecturally connecting the historic building with the glass-enclosed new library.

Sullivan Crovatto said the 1913 building’s use is “purpose-driven” and, as such, will not be open to walk-ins as the main building is.

“It will be on a reservation system, and we are going to be very thoughtful about how the space gets used, for a variety of reasons, most of which are driven by operational budget considerations,” she said. “We don’t want to have to find additional staff members to permanently sit in a space and monitor activity that’s happening in there, and frankly, there’s plenty of space for that here where people want to sit and read and review the periodicals. They don’t need a separate space to do it. What we need is more programming space. We’re actually competing with ourselves internally to find the space to do the lectures and music programs that we’re trying to present.”

Asked for her message to the wider community about the library’s plans for the 1913 building, Sullivan Crovatto said: “The renovated building will serve groups that our current spaces cannot easily accommodate. So, for example, our staff has identified the fact that there are certain public school teachers who need off-site meeting space, and on short notice. We also have students who fill the library during midterm and finals. We can expand the space for their use. We also have neurodivergent patient patrons who will benefit from a visually restful setting, and support groups in particular that address really sensitive concerns that wouldn’t want to meet in some of our glass-enclosed spaces.”