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November 9, 2009

It's a whole new Denville library - but you'd never know it from the outside

DailyRecord.com

By TEHANI SCHNEIDER • STAFF WRITER • November 9, 2009

From the outside, the brick building on Diamond Spring Road still looks like the old, run-of-the-mill facility.

But inside the Denville Public Library, the newly transformed interior — the result of approximately $1.6 million in renovations to the 9,900 square-foot facility — is visually stunning.

"It was very open, but very blah," said library director Betsy Kanouse, of the former interior. "No uniqueness, no personality."

The 25 year-old building also had weathered carpeting, poor lighting, an inefficient children's room and drafty windows, said Councilman Tom Andes.

Those problems were quickly solved in 2005 when the library board of trustees hired Dennis Kowal Architects, a Somerville-based firm that specializes in library design.

The result? A modernized facility that incorporates Denville's attributes while effectively using the space and natural surroudings. Gone is the reader's nook in the back, hidden from view by rows of bookshelves. In its place, a designated children's room, complete with a sunny yellow playhouse and picture windows with a view of the woods.

The new circulation and reference desks feature wooden arbors accentuated with soft pendant lighting. And other areas boast their own unique touches, including stone columns in the teen's lounge and an abstract ceiling with an inverted boat design in the adult reading room.

Even the library's meeting space was overhauled and converted into a theater area, with plush red carpet, a flat-screen TV, and portholes to fit the theme of lakes within the township.

In addition to the nautical theme, the architects said the overall look also features Denville's other unique assets, with cultured stones representing rural areas.

''It's a beautiful lakeside community,'' said Susan Kowal, who co-designed the space with her husband, Dennis and fellow architect Kelly Smozanek. ''We wanted to bring that in here and have subtle details throughout.''

The library board raised half the funding for the project, while the township council approved a bond ordinance for the total cost in 2008.

More than 40 residents joined township officials and local dignitaries, including Freeholder Director Gene Feyl, a former Denville mayor, and state Sen. Anthony R. Bucco, R-Boonton, for a re-dedication ceremony and celebration on Sunday afternoon. Library board President Rose Ann Cotreau cut the ribbon, while Council President Chris Dour spoke on behalf of the governing body. Mayor Ted Hussa was unable to attend the ceremony because of a prior commitment to the New Jersey National Guard.

Dour praised the library board, designers and contractors for their combined work on the project.

''When you see the amount of information that is here, the wealth of space that is here, it's going to be a beautiful metamorphosis,'' he said. ''It's a great, inviting place that you'll want to spend more time in.''

The library remained open during construction of the project, which began by Wallington-based Brahma Construction Corp. this past January and ended in late September.

"It's much more acclimated for reading," said parent Iris Drey said, as she held her son, Stefan Prvcilovich, 8, on her lap, in the children's room. "We come here all the time. We've very avid readers."

Dennis Kowal said the biggest challenge was working with the existing space.

"It should be timeless," said Kowal, who previously designed the libraries in Mount Olive and Chester. "There's classic elements but it's a very contemporary feeling.."

And the community of 16,000 has responded favorably to the new facility, with 248 new users alone in October, said Kanouse.

''Our (monthly) average is about 20 (new users),'' she said. ''That new stat just jumps out at you.''

Posted by tumulty at November 9, 2009 3:22 PM

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