NORRISTOWN — The architects chosen by the Montgomery County Commissioners to plan the rebuild of the Montgomery County – Norristown Public Library will team up with county and library officials to hold two public meetings this month, in order to hear what residents want to have at the campus.
The meetings are set to take place in the Norristown Library’s community room at 1001 Powell St. on Monday, April 29, with one session at 1 p.m. and another at 6 p.m. for public input on the project. Spanish translators will be there at both meetings.
Jamila H. Winder, head of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, stated that community input is a crucial part of this process.
“A lot has changed since the library was built in 1976, both in terms of the services libraries offer and the technology behind those services,” Winder said. “We want residents to help us reimagine how the library campus can be rebuilt to cater to the widest possible audience, no matter their economic status.”
The aim is to make significant improvements and transform the library into a modern facility that can benefit the community for the next 50 years.
“We are following the same approach for the library planning that we used in deciding how to allocate American Rescue Plan Act funding,” said Neil Makhija, Montgomery County commissioner. “This means the community shapes what the building looks like and the services it offers. All our libraries, and especially this one, play a vital role, by providing the community access to information and resources in a safe and welcoming space.”
“Redesigning the library is a major task and we want to ensure that we do it correctly,” said Thomas DiBello, Montgomery County commissioner. “This is a substantial investment in the community, so community members should attend and voice their opinions on what they want to see in the redevelopment.”
The county owns the building and the surrounding property at Swede and Elm Streets (actual address is 1001 Powell Street) in Norristown. The library is operated by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The building serves as the local branch library for the Municipality of Norristown, the county library, and main service facility for several bookmobiles and branch libraries in Conshohocken, Schwenksville, Royersford, and Red Hill.
Blue Bell-based Kimmel-Bogrette Architecture and the county’s Assets and Infrastructure Department will lead the community meetings along with the library’s executive director and district administrator, Karen J. DeAngelo.
“Our main library was built before there were computers in libraries, before the internet, and long before the most recent pandemic,” DeAngelo noted. “People now flock to libraries to connect with the world and with each other. We envision the new library featuring, among other things, large and small meeting rooms, for job interviews, educational services, and group study.”
Kimmel-Bogrette principal Mattew McQuaide said his firm is excited to design the renovation of the 80,000 square foot building.
McQuaide stated that the library is very important to the Norristown community. They are excited to support the library's mission of providing access to resources for learning, entertainment, and enrichment. Their goal is to make the campus welcoming to everyone.
Before the construction begins, the library will need to move to a different location for up to three years. The Logan Commerce Center at 1700 Markley Street will be the temporary home for the library under a lease agreement.
Skanska USA Building Incorporated of Blue Bell is offering construction management services for the project. The current plan is to have the renovated library open in 2027.
