Mike Shea, Market and Johnson project manager, gave a tour of the second floor of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire on Monday.

Lauren Gardner, left, of MSR Design in Minneapolis, Minn., explained some of the L.E. Phillips Public Library new amenities while on the rooftop patio in on Monday next to new Library Director Nancy Kerr, center, and Library Deputy Director Shelly Collins-Fuerbringer.

Mike Shea, Market and Johnson project manager, gave a tour of the second floor of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire on Monday.

Lauren Gardner, left, of MSR Design in Minneapolis, Minn., explained some of the L.E. Phillips Public Library new amenities while on the rooftop patio in on Monday next to new Library Director Nancy Kerr, center, and Library Deputy Director Shelly Collins-Fuerbringer.

EAU CLAIRE — The newly-renovated L.E. Phillips Memorial Library is set to reopen after Labor Day, and Monday offered a sneak peek of the expanded facility.

Library staff and representatives from MRS Design and Market and Johnson provided local media with a look at some of the updates Monday, along with the remaining timeline.

“As you’ll see today, our big renovation project is wrapping up,” said Nancy Kerr, the newly appointed library director. “Construction began in May of 2021, and our partners at Market and Johnson have kept us on time and on budget.”

Kerr expressed gratitude to the individuals and businesses that generously donated $7 million to the Story Builder Capital Campaign. The additional funding, coupled with the $11.5 million invested by the city, allowed the construction of a third floor and the inclusion of modern innovations.

“To raise so much in only a few short years, and during a global pandemic, has been amazing. I hope the community feels true ownership over this fabulous new building,” Kerr said.

Market and Johnson Project Executive Mike Shea gave the press a tour around the newly renovated space.

“Things came in under budget and on schedule and we’ve been able to work with the architects and the city to keep things on track budget-wise,” Shea said.

The 70,000-square-foot space not only improved the aesthetics of the building but also the building’s energy efficiency and safety measures, he said. Shea called it “a 50-year-plus building for the city that will have energy efficiencies that will last a long time.”

An update to the heating and cooling system was one of the improvements. The previous system was completely gutted and replaced with one that uses geothermal energy from 36 geothermal wells.

The lower level of the library will showcase a larger Dabble Box maker space. At almost twice the size of the previous space, the Dabble Box will include a secondary room designated for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities. There will also be an outdoor patio space for messier science experiments.

The main floor of the library has a larger, open floor plan with more windows for increased natural lighting. Meeting rooms are also available to the community. The rooms are a response one of the biggest requests from the public.

“Another thing the community has told us for many years that they are interested in is small meeting spaces. We have 10 meeting rooms in the library now,” Library Deputy Director Shelly Collins-Fuerbringer said.

Another space that received a significant amount of community interest is a drive-up pick-up location. Collins-Fuerbringer said customers will be able to use it to pick up their hold items without having to step foot in the library.

Home of the book sections and the computer lab, the second floor features a bridge that connects one side of the building to the other. Called the Headwaters bridge, it is supposed to mimic the confluence structure of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers.

One of the biggest additions to the renovation was the construction of the third floor. The brand new space features a community room that can serve as a public use event space with a capacity of around 200.

The third floor also houses an innovation lab — a classroom-like space with a kitchen — as well as an outdoor rooftop terrace with views of the city

Lauren Gardner, an interior designer from MSR Design working with the project, said the team designed the renovation around the concept of the movement of water, like the river viewable from the library’s windows.

“The spaces where you want to slow down are going to feel more like a river eddy … it feels slow and it feels comfortable. And in our more active spaces, it’s more like a river current moving around,” Gardner said.

She also described the lower level as the refreshing and always moving riverbed, while the new third floor acts as a mist that feels fresh and bright.

When asked how she thinks the renovation will change the downtown area, Collins-Fuerbringer said the changes to accessibility will only increase community participation in the space she described as the most visited spot in downtown Eau Claire.

Collins-Fuerbring is also excited about moving back into the downtown space from the temporary space located on Mall Drive.

“That space is a little under 25,000 square feet and we were at over 60 here, so we significantly reduced our footprint,” Collins-Fuerbring said. “While I think a lot of people appreciate the location, we don’t have any of the amenities there.”

As the final stages of reopening begin, library customers can expect a pause in library services. The final day to check out materials and pick up available holds is August 6. Digital services provided by the library will be paused from August 9-10.

Those who wish to return their library materials during the closure can do so at the different return boxes around Eau Claire, however, all of the due dates of the materials will be extended to when services are back up and running.

Early in September, a soft reopening will take place before the grand reopening near the end of September. Dates and event information will be announced later.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reporting—but good journalism isn’t free. Please support us by making a contribution.

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.