Development plans for the Haydon Burns Library may be up in the air, but City Council member Suzanne Jenkins has some definitive plans for the building.
Jenkins thinks a name change and a landmark designation is in order to acknowledge the building’s significance as an example of modern architecture.
Now that The Atkins Group has withdrawn its plans to tear down the building to make way for a condominium and retail development, Jenkins thinks the time is right to resume efforts to landmark the building.
Jenkins scuttled an earlier attempt after the Council’s Land Use and Zoning Committee rejected a bill by a vote of 6-1 introduced by Jenkins that would have given the building landmark status.
But Jenkins said Tuesday that much of the Council’s earlier resistance was based on a desire not to upset Atkins’ development plans, which had already received City approval. With Atkins out of the picture, Jenkins expects more support from the Council.
Jenkins said she will likely reintroduce the landmark request and to rename the building in honor of its architect, 80-year-old Taylor Hardwick. Hardwick is known nationally as a leader in the modern architecture movement that gained prominence in the 1960s. The former library building is known as his signature work.
“I can’t think of a better way to recognize Mr. Hardwick for his innovation and his place in architecture history than to put his name on the building,” said Jenkins.
In a statement on his website, Hardwick said he was “delighted and thankful” that the Atkins proposal had been withdrawn.
“The Haydon Burns Library is the magnum opus of my 50-year career and has at least 60 more years of useful life to give to our city,” the statement read.
The potential developers lining up to replace Atkins said a landmark designation wouldn’t deter their interest in the building. The designation would make it harder for developers to substantially change the building’s appearance. But it would also make the development eligible for tax breaks set aside for historic structures.
Peterbrooke Chocolatier’s proposal was the City’s second choice after Atkins to develop the library, and would be next in line to negotiate a development deal. Peterbrooke is discussing now whether to enter talks with the City, said spokesperson Nick Crispe.
Crispe said a landmark designation would have some effect on Peterbrooke’s development plans if it decides to pursue the building, but he noted that owner Phyllis Lockwood Geiger had been in favor of a landmark.
Jack Shad of Main Branch LLC, the third-place bidder behind Peterbrooke, said his group would still be interested in developing a landmarked library.
“We thought of it as a landmark and designed around that in our proposal,” said Shad. “We wanted to keep the character and defining features of the building. Any new work would be compatible with the original design.”
If Peterbrooke declines, Shad said his group, “expects them to contact us next.”
The Police and Fire Pension Fund was an original bidder to redevelop the library. Administrator John Keane said a landmark designation wouldn’t scare off the Fund. But it would require the Fund to reevaluate the project to see how the designation would impact the deal’s financing.
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