The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees voted Tuesday in favor of a joint proposal from The Catered Affair and WGBH Educational Foundation to create a 4,500-square-foot space in the Johnson Building of the Central Library to house The Newsfeed Café and a WGBH News satellite bureau and studio.
In a Tuesday press release, Mayor Martin Walsh praised the library for inspiring other cities to improve availability and accessibility to residents.
“The renovation of the Central Library in Copley is setting the tone for other urban libraries across the country, and this partnership is a top notch selection,” Walsh said in the release. “I applaud the work of the Retail Tenant Advisory Committee for their diligence in selecting a partnership that will serve library patrons from Boston, and across the Commonwealth.”
David Leonard, interim president of BPL, said in the release that the vision for a remodeled retail space within the library dates back to the late Mayor Thomas Menino’s last term in office. Leonard detailed to The Daily Free Press the plans for the renovation.
“We did the design for the overall project as part of phase one,” he said. “We opened phase one, which was the second floor of the Johnson Building, earlier this year and that involved a new Children’s Room, new Teen Central space and a new nonfiction and reference area. We have seen usage double in those spaces since then. It set the bar pretty high for us in phase two.”
The $78-million renovation project was awarded to Consigli Construction Co., while the architectural design was brought to life by William Rawn Associates.
The Newsfeed Café will be managed by The Catered Affair and will offer casual food options throughout the day, according to the release. The space will also serve dual functions, as it will be designed to host catered events and public functions both during and outside of library hours.
The press release also stated that WGBH will construct and occupy an 800-square-foot satellite news bureau in the space to focus on their radio offerings. The space will feature a WGBH radio and television anchor desk for live broadcast and pre-taped segments. A public media producer with WGBH plans to explore resources to enhance BPL’s services and make them more accessible to children and teens.
Eileen Abels, dean of Simmons College’s School of Library and Information Science, said she believes the renovations are in the best interest of the public.
“In this time of change, institutions like public libraries need to reinvent themselves,” Abels said. “They’ve done a lot to bring in different kinds of people and different members of the public and create a high profile for the Boston Public Library.”
Leonard made it clear that library users were on all the city planners’ minds as they envisioned the results of this project. The renovations aim to update the building for the first time since the late ’70s, in order to reform the services available to the public to match the newest library standards.
While some Boston residents expressed excitement for the upcoming renovations, others had hesitations about funding.
Sonia Shapiro, 46, of Dorchester, said she was curious as to how the renovation would be funded.
“I am very interested in seeing where all this money will come from,” she said. “A few years ago, we had to fight with the city to keep branch libraries open. There was widespread discussion of closing the branches. After hearing that $78 million is being spent on the Central Library, I’m concerned how it will affect the branches.”
Daniel Lima, 50, of Charlestown, rebuked the renovation as a waste of taxpayer money.
“Well, the WGBH and café renovations are good ideas,” he said. “However, I worry that it will be outdated within six months. I think it might be a waste of money. Conceivably, this could have positive impacts for taxpayers if they can figure out a way to generate income from the space WGBH will be taking up.”
Jim Labonte, 65, of Roslindale, was delighted to hear of the upcoming renovation.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” he said. “I mean, anything to bring people here is great. There is a dining area here already and something like that which gives people a space to come to, I think is a good idea. I listen to WGBH and if they’re broadcasting here, even better.”
