One of the goals of the Johnson Building Improvement Project is to explore taking underutilized space and study the viability of an appropriate enterprise or commercial project which would create a positive financial impact for Boston Public Library (BPL), while further enlivening part of the library and creating a draw for new library user audiences, especially at the streetscape level.  During the Conceptual Master Planning process several ideas for optimizing existing spaces and identifying potential enterprise uses were explored.  The major options that emerged were a conference/innovation/or training lab space on the concourse level as well as mission-compatible retail and/or café space on the first floor.  These concepts which were first introduced here and here will continue to be refined through the design phase of the project.  In parallel to the conceptual master plan development, a market research and professional analysis project regarding such uses is being conducted, which will also be used to help finalize functional use and design decisions.

The images below show possible concepts, layouts and locations for the Enterprise Program.  Your responses and suggestions are welcome. Please feel free to comment directly on this blog, send an email to compass@bpl.org, or send a letter to Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston MA 02116

When the Johnson Building Improvement Project began last year, the library issued a request for proposals that asked — as one of the project goals — for design assistance in improving visitors’ first impressions of the Johnson Building. As the master plan progressed, much discussion took place about the library’s exterior transparency and engagement along with a vision for a re-energized entrance and lobby connected to site and the streetscape. Today, solid granite screens separate the first floor spaces of the Johnson Building from the vibrant street life along Boylston Street. One of the big ideas to come out of the master planning process is the recommendation to remove the granite plinths from in front of the library. The diagram below depicts the existing set-up of the plinths and what it could look like with out them.

It is important to note that at the Central Library in Copley Square, both the McKim Building (the one that faces Dartmouth Street) and the Johnson Building (the one that faces Boylston Street) are Boston Landmark Commission landmarks, as of 2000. Any proposed changes to a landmarked facility are carefully reviewed by the Commission, which is the City of Boston’s historic preservation agency. The following areas are landmarked in and around the Johnson Building, specifically:

1. Exterior facades
2. Deferrari Hall
3. Entry lobby
4. Site and landscape

The talented team at William Rawn Associates Architects also created a series of renderings that represent in full color what the front of the Johnson Building looks like today, what it would look like during the day without the granite screens, and what it would look like in the evening without the granite screens. Scroll down to see these depictions. The images are from a presentation shown to Boston Landmarks Commission on June 25, 2013, during an advisory review. Let us know in the comments section what you think.