Allison Rees
Local Couple Gifts $3 Million to New Canaan Library; Children’s Room Renamed
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New Canaan Library announced Monday that a local couple has donated $3 million toward the organization’s capital campaign. The library’s Children’s Room has been renamed The Rees Family Children’s Library after Michael and Allison Rees, according to a press release. Lisa Oldham, executive director of the library, said in a statement, “Michael and Allison’s generosity accompanies an exemplary fidelity to culture and civic life in New Canaan and reflects their sincere desire to make a difference. The Rees Family Children’s Library will forever reflect their exceptional vision.”
The new 42,000-square-foot library opened four months ago, about three years after officials unveiled a dramatic new plan for the organization’s block at the edge of downtown New Canaan. Awash in natural light and featuring the new Jim and Dede Bartlett Auditorium, multiple meeting rooms, an instantly popular café, heavily used teen area and spacious children’s room, the facility replaced an aging facility with a failing, costly physical plant that hadn’t seen a significant renovation in four decades.