Thomas Breen photo
The Institute Library at 847 Chapel.
The Institute Library plans to embark on a comprehensive set of building repairs and improvements at its historic Chapel Street home, thanks to a recently approved $1.725 million grant from the state.
That’s according to an email press release sent out on Wednesday afternoon by the downtown membership library that has been operating out of the four-story building at 847 Chapel St. since 1878.
The email press release came out roughly a month after the State Bond Commission signed off on sending $1.725 million to the library to help cover the costs of “urgent repairs to the roof, elevator, bathrooms, and safety systems.”
That state money, according to the press release, will support a “a full-scale restoration project encompassing complete roof system replacement, skylight refurbishment, window and masonry restoration, fire protection, and accessibility improvements all while honoring the historic fabric of the building and preserving this important part of New Haven history as a living institution.”
The Institute Library’s website offers further details on all of the fixes that the library hopes to make to its downtown building as part of a larger project of repairs and improvements. Those include the construction of a new elevator connecting all levels of the building, the creation of a new gallery at the attic level, and repairs to the third-floor framing.
See below for the Institute Library’s Wednesday email press release in full.
An Important Announcement from the Institute Library
The Connecticut State Bond Commission recently approved $1.725 million in state bond funds for urgent repairs to the Institute Library Building at 847 Chapel Street in New Haven, a building erected and occupied continuously by the Library since 1878.
The Institute Library is one of a handful of historic, independent, non-municipal libraries remaining in this country. Unaffiliated since its inception with any academic or religious institutions, the organization today continues its long history of offering to a diverse population many opportunities to study, exhibit, discuss, and participate in ongoing cultural explorations and civil discourse on a local level.
Maryann Ott, The Institute Library’s board chair, noted how transformative this will be in keeping this building healthy and active for future generations of New Haven residents. Using these and other funds, the Library anticipates undertaking a full-scale restoration project encompassing complete roof system replacement, skylight refurbishment, window and masonry restoration, fire protection, and accessibility improvements all while honoring the historic fabric of the building and preserving this important part of New Haven history as a living institution.
The Library’s board, staff and volunteers thanked state leaders for their help in obtaining these funds, particularly Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney (D- New Haven) and Governor Ned Lamont.
“This investment in New Haven will be felt for generations, helping us preserve this unique and beloved building,” said Ott, noting some of the important community programs supported by the Institute Library such as the Social Justice Reader, a paid fellowship for New Haven high school students to study social justice. “We are incredibly grateful for this support from The State of Connecticut, providing essential funding for major investments like this in our communities,” Ott said.
I was a member for a time (need to renew).
The Institute Library is an unique institution in the area that offers a wide selection of reading materials, many of which are not found elsewhere. It also offers small venue music events, readings, story telling nights and gallery exhibits.
It’s great to see the state support. Hopefully increasing local support will follow.