Designing & Building Our Future Library

Federal, state and local elected officials recently gathered with town staff and residents at 1041 Main Street (site of the former Webster Bank building) to celebrate the award of funds to build Manchester’s new public library.

With a banner depicting the new library’s exterior and interior designs in the background, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, State Senator MD Rahman, and State Representative Jason Doucette joined Mayor Jay Moran and members of the town Board of Directors trumpeting the collaborative approach that is making this project possible.

Brian Murphy, chair of the Library Building Committee, said, “We greatly appreciate the financial support our state and federal partners are providing to assure Manchester residents have a state-of-the-art library that will serve generations to come.”

Library Board chair, Miriam Byroade, added, “Manchester voters overwhelmingly passed a funding referendum in 2022 in support of the new library which is one of the most highly utilized libraries in the state. We are excited to see this vision become a reality.”

With Webster Bank now located across Maple Street at 1007 Main Street, town officials anticipate that site preparation and building construction will begin in early 2025. It is estimated that construction will take about 16 months with a grand opening slated for mid-2026.

Over the last several months, the 12-member Library Building Committee has been working diligently with Town Officials, Town Staff, Friar Architects & HBM Architects, and construction contractors to design Manchester’s 21st Century Public Library in the heart of Downtown Main Street.

The new library project is progressing with exciting advancements for both interior and exterior design elements. While the designs are subject to further refinement, the architectural vision showcases a spectacular structure, incorporating community feedback on the initial designs to create a welcoming space for reading, learning, connection, and conversation.

The 70,000 square foot, three-story structure includes ample space for Manchester’s robust collection of books and materials, lively and engaging areas for children of all ages, dedicated interactive teen space, makerspace and audio-visual studio, private study and meeting rooms, and a large community meeting space.

“In November 2022, Manchester voters overwhelmingly approved the construction of a 21st-century, state-of-the-art library for our community,” said Mayor Moran. “The Board of Directors formed and tasked the Library Building Committee to carry out this mission, and I’m proud of the work they’ve done to see that Manchester will have the best public library in the entire state.”

The building designs aim for a future potential goal of net-zero energy with geothermal heating/cooling systems. These systems along with other sustainable materials are outlined in a proposed Energy Usage Model examined by Eversource and its consultants which considers opportunities to effectively offset costs to implementation. While these plans are still underway, the project team is optimistic about the sustainable factors this new building would bring to the Manchester community.

You may view some of the current exterior and interior design images here.

In late June 2024, the Town of Manchester purchased the property at 1041 Main Street formerly owned by Webster Bank, which will serve as the site of the new library. Webster Bank will be staying Downtown, as it purchased the adjacent property at 1007 Main Street for its new branch location and is currently in the process of moving.

“Webster Bank has been a tremendous community partner throughout this entire process, “said Town Manager Steve Stephanou. “We are thrilled that Webster will be remaining Downtown, continuing to be a key component of the small and local business ecosystem that makes the area so vibrant. Private investments, like the one Webster is making, along with the new library and other major public investments in the Main Street area, will help ensure Downtown Manchester is a regional destination for the next several decades and beyond.”

It is expected that the demolition of the current structure and site preparation will commence in the 4th quarter of 2024. Weather permitting, new construction will commence by early 2025 with a 16–18-month timeline of completion of the building.

On March 5, 2024, the Library Building Committee, and the library design team comprised of town staff, Friar/ HBM Architects, and construction manager O&G Industries, presented current building design renderings, and schematic cost estimates to the Board of Directors, all of which will be continuously updated through the upcoming design and construction process. The report summarized the design building process to date and forecasted future activities and timelines.

The Board of Directors unanimously commended the work of the Library Building Committee on its work and supported the direction regarding the exterior and interior design of the new library building.

View the presentation here

Through October and November 2023, HBM Architects facilitated two in-person gatherings and an online survey for Manchester residents that generated over 300 responses. This process identified key features and functions that are most important to future library patrons.

In addition to public engagement, current library staff were surveyed to gather further information about their needs and preferences in a new library.

These results, along with previous input from the community and library staff as part of the 21^st Century Library Task Force, have informed early building design renderings and will guide future building development and construction activities.

Find report results here

Thank you to everyone who attended today and yesterday’s design conversations at Manchester Mary Cheney Library. Your passion, dedication, and participation has been essential in guiding the design of the future library 📚 As a continuation of this engagement effort, our partners Friar & HBM Architects will be sharing out a public survey in the next several weeks to garner additional feedback from the community.

In the meantime, we encourage you to check out this project page and explore the "Share Your Ideas" tab to learn more about this project and share your thoughts directly with the team!