Yale University announced today that the 1963 Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Gordon Bunshaft, will fully open again on September 6 following a renovation led by Chicago firm HBRA Architects with local firm Newman Architects.
The renovation focused on upgrades to the building's M/E/P systems as well as fire protection, security, HVAC, and technology, and also included restoration work on the structure, fixtures, and the Noguchi Sculpture Garden. According to the project website, "the work will not change the building’s iconic architecture." In fact, The Wall Street Journal reports: "The sprucing up of public areas such as the exhibition hall has been so subtle, Mr. Schroeder [the library's director, Edwin C. Schroeder] frets that visitors will wonder, 'What have you guys been doing for the past 15 months?' " The project also included adding two more classrooms and constructing a centralized location for the Technical Services staff, which opened last year in the city's Science Park.
