The remnants of the legacy library building, which is currently undergoing asbestos abatement, will be moved to a slab near the Gulf station in June, as widely anticipated new features of the campus come online, officials said Tuesday.
Approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission in November—during a meeting where that appointed body’s chair noted that preservation doesn’t necessarily mean the building in question remains in place—plans call for the so-called “1913 library” to be secured and moved out of the way of a town green.
Asked for an update on that part of the library project, Bob Butman, president of the organization’s Board of Trustees, told members of the Board of Selectmen during their regular meeting that “at this point in time we have been working with our architects and with various construction planners and obviously Turner to build all the plans to move the 1913 building to the location that was approved by P&Z, which is up the hill, sort of backing up against the Gulf station.”
“That will not happen until such time as we finish the demolition of the surrounding parts of the library, which includes an effort underway right now for abatement of asbestos and other work associated with preparing that 1913 building to be moved,” he said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “We would anticipate that that would occur roughly in the June timeframe, but can’t be held to specifics because it’s going to be all dependent on weather, it’s going to be dependent on what else they find as part of the abatement process and how long it takes Turner and their team to finish their work.”
The comments came during a wider discussion and approval of the first tranche of the town’s long-planned library construction loan.
During the legacy library discussion, Selectman Kathleen Corbet appeared to ask whether, should the town purchase the Gulf station property at South Avenue and Cherry Street, the old building still would need to be moved. Butman and New Canaan Library Executive Director Lisa Oldham said yes, as per contracts signed two years ago that include a guaranteed maximum price for a project that includes creation of a green that requires the legacy building to be moved (and, separately, retained for some future use).
Corbet did not say explicitly that the town would purchase the Gulf station.
She said, “So if you think of it in the total project cost, and given if you were to hypothetically think about the fact that you potentially someday might have space or land available to the library and the town that is basically open from Main Street to South Avenue, is the proposed project of moving the legacy library still something that you want to go forward, in that maybe you have opportunities to do other things? What is the board thinking about in terms of that?”
Oldham responded, “I think that is such early days, that other thing that you just alluded to. But what we are talking to Turner about is what would it look like if such changes were to happen, what would be the opportunities? Given it’s completely theoretical, this thing, I don’t think as fiduciaries of the library and in good conscience we can make any definitive plans based on that theoretical. What we can do is be prepared for ‘What if that happens?’ so we are having those conversations.”
Yet there’s no scenario in which the legacy library is not moved.
Butman noted that where that old building currently sits is “going to be totally different landscaping and excavation, the whole topography, the land will change dramatically in the next four months.”
Referring to the topography of the library’s privately owned portion of the downtown block, Oldham added, “It’s got a huge dip in it and a big hump in the middle of the lawn. This is something we’ve talked about like 100 times, right?”
The future of the legacy library emerged as a point of focus for some in town in the weeks following the first public unveiling of the planned new building and campus in January 2020. That unveiling didn’t include any preservation plan for the 1913 building, though through the P&Z approval process, library officials agreed to create a preservation plan for it, which the Commission later approved.
Even so, some residents argued that the 1913 building should remain in place.
Though small, a preservation group that gave itself the name “alliance”—namely, “New Canaan Preservation Alliance”—has four active lawsuits against P&Z and the library. (In 2021, preservationists failed to gather even the signatures needed to force a referendum vote on the town’s $10 million grant to the library.)
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan noted during Tuesday’s meeting that the 1913 building “will be put on on rails and moved and then we’ll decide what will happen to it.”
Oldham said that once the green and other “phase two” landscaping projects are done, the library will turn to restoring the legacy building.
Appearing to refer to the town’s possible Gulf station acquisition, she added flatly, “And if other developments that may be afoot should coincide with that, well, yippee, we can all work together on seeing how that works.”
The Gulf station itself, at 36 South Ave., sits on a .31-acre parcel. It was purchased for $4.7 million three years ago, by a limited liability company whose principals include a Norwalk man, according to Connecticut Secretary of the State records. Town officials have said publicly that the Gulf station may relocate to the former TD Bank property at Elm and Grove Streets, installing its pumps as well as a car wash there.
Oldham underscored during the meeting that the library’s contract and guaranteed maximum price was not just for the new library building, but “for the entire project as presented, so we have to finish that.”
The legacy library building “has to be moved, and we’ve got a ruling about the one and only place that can be, right? So that’s a separate project that needs to go forward in parallel. But we still have this first contract that we have to get through.”
Butman noted that the second phase of the library project—essentially all the work that is starting to get done now, since the new building is up and open—is extensive.
“It encompasses the green but it’s also the landscaping, the excavating, it has the retaining walls, the sidewalks, the lighting, the abatement, the masonry, the demolition, utilities, the construction of the terrace,” Butman said. “Everything that builds out all of the whole property, including the moving of the 1913 to basically a slab positioned up on the hill, and when that is completed then the future of that building which is yet to be determined will be figured out by donors, by town, by others who contribute and determine what its purpose is going to be.”
Looking over the next 10+ years surprised the best use of the TD Lot is a gas station. According to the NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/nyregion/electric-vehicles-cars-nyc.html neighboring towns (Stamford – Greenwich – Westport) all have over 1,200 EV’s already. This will only grow (perhaps very rapidly) over the coming years. Considering the discussion on affordable housing it is unclear why this 1/2 acre lot could not be considered for some homes.
As for the Library it is pretty clear that no matter how much money the town is willing to grant or loan (we are well over $20m between grants – loans and land already purchased and donated) the Library is not interested in the 1913 building. I am not sure another $5-10m is really going to change their view but that $5-10m could make a difference when it comes to building some homes.
Everything old is new again. The “TD lot” was actually a gas station before it became a bank. I believe it was New Canaan Texaco.
You are right – 1 of 3 gas stations on elm street when I was growing up. New Canaan needs atleast 2 gas stations besides the ones on the Merritt Parkway – Only one down town is not enough.
Was this the station that stayed open special for the wedding of daughter of the Texaco Chairman?
In the old is new again spirit, perhaps the space where the 1913 building is will return to being a library in the future :-). Perhaps we could all save ourselves the effort and skip right to that period and repurpose the 1913 building where it sits, rather than putting it on skids for some time and then figuring out what to do with it (or spending $5-10m for a new home at the present gas station).
I doubt we have seen the end of the EV growth, and surprised people are investing in suburban gas stations, or that the town would facilitate such a development (EV station perhaps).
This TD property has an adjacent building owned by what appears to be an investor, so perhaps time for the town to talk with them like they did across the street last fall to get a larger footprint.
I have no doubt the lumberyard will be redeveloped over the next 5-10 years, we should just as well get a good master plan for that area so it fits in well with the surroundings.
Mike, Not sure why you continue to associate the New Canaan Preservation Alliance with the unsuccessful library referendum. As stated at the time, The New Canaan Preservation Alliance had nothing to do with the referendum on the $10 million grant to the Library. That was a group concerned about where New Canaan taxpayer money was going. Also, not sure why Alliance is in quotes here.
NCPA is pro preservation. Throughout the construction of the new Library, the only thing NCPA has stayed focused on is where the 1913 is going. Actually, now where half of the original 1913 is going and how its going to get there.
We continue to try every avenue to preserve the iconic, historic 1913 Library. And, our e-bast list of more than 1800 confirms that we are not a small group, nor the only ones in Town that believe both buildings would create a beautiful library campus.
It was the Mobil station for the chairman of that company.
Are you kiddong me. Five years ago or so, the idea of buying the Gulf station was brough up to the first selectmen committee about buying the property, now you think it’s a good idea. Why don’t you and P and Z, think a little before you start listening to a very select few ( treehuggers) about wasting our time and money. You should’ve bought the property then and knock that old crappy (2.5 million dollar, asbestos filled) library down. Another good job by our town official’s.