- Enclosed Courtyard
- Urban Design
- Outdoor Performance Space
- Expected Completion - Early 2021
Project Details
The current Park Street Library is one of the busiest yet smallest libraries in the seven-branch system. As a 2,000 SF space located on the corner of Park and Babcock Streets, the community has advocated for a better facility for 30 years.
Two blocks away, on the corner of Park Street and Broad Street, a new branch of the Hartford Public Library will be constructed at the site of the historic Lyric Theatre. The deteriorated 93-year-old building sat vacant since a fire destroyed it in the late 1970s. In 2018, the building was deemed unsalvagable due to 30 years of deterioration. The new two-story, 13,000 SF building will include a 150-seat community room, learning lab, meeting rooms, a café, exhibit space and designated adult, teen and children’s areas, along with a protected courtyard. This facility will be the largest branch, providing much-needed community resources to the Frog Hollow neighborhood.
To Design worked with TSKP Studio to design a rear courtyard to be used for performances, readings, and gatherings. Additional site features include new concrete pavement, site lighting, plantings, accessibility, and a small parking lot. High-quality photo reproductions of the original Boricua murals on the facade of the former Lyric Theater will be mounted in the new reading room.