MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Moving forward with its vision of creating a 21st-century library, the Maplewood Memorial Library board of trustees has awarded a contract to Sage and Coombe Architects LLP to create a conceptual design for the Main Library at 51 Baker St. The design process will fully engage the public over approximately six months, according to a release from the library. Sage and Coombe will explore environmental and structural aspects of an enhanced library, as well as issues of accessibility and sustainability.
“Anticipating and embracing the changing role of libraries in today’s world, the design must be inviting and open, inclusive, flexible in practice and civic in character, referencing traditional library forms called to perform new roles,” firm principal Jennifer Sage said in the release. The design will embrace and emphasize the library’s location within Memorial Park.
“The Library for the Future Campaign will be a public and private venture that includes funding from the township, the Library Foundation, Friends of the Library, individual and family contributors, and foundation and corporate donors,” Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca said in the release. “We are excited to be working with Sage & Coombe to create a library space that will meet the needs of our community for years to come.”
The library board selected Sage and Coombe in a competitive process that brought in applications from 39 top-notch firms in the New York region. Recent Sage and Coombe clients include the New York Public Library, the Noguchi Garden Museum and the Greater Newark Conservancy. Principals Jennifer Sage and Peter Coombe received masters of architecture degrees from Yale and Harvard respectively.
“We are very excited to develop a modern, accessible and dynamic space that captures the energy and diversity of our community,” library board President Kate McCaffrey said in the release. “The Maplewood Memorial Library serves as a gateway both to our village and our gorgeous Olmsted park. We are thrilled to have Sage and Coombe work with us to design a building that reflects the centrality of the library to our community.”
To keep up with the planning process as it unfolds, go to the Library’s Building for the Future web page.