Check It Out

It’s Official at Sequoya Commons

April 7th, 2008 Barb D.

On April 2nd the City of Madison/Madison Public Library closed on the purchase of the condo space for a new Sequoya Branch Library, part of the new Sequoya Commons development on Midvale and Tokay Boulevards.

The new long-awaited Sequoya Branch will occupy 20,000 square feet at street level in Sequoya Commons, a mixed use residential, retail and public library development. The Library is the first in Madison to seek LEED certification for a green building, and the building itself will serve as a demonstration project — educating library users about sustainable buildings. The Library will feature a special children’s area with sections devoted to early literacy and family reading, an area especially for teens, and a hearth room for quiet reading. There will be a large community room for neighborhood meetings and programs, and smaller conference rooms for study groups, small meetings and tutoring. The new Sequoya will offer 30 Internet access computer stations with centralized printing, as well as full WI-FI availability for lap-top users, and the option of self-service checkout. Plus, of course, nearly 120,000 assorted books and media and, access to valuable proprietary informational and educational databases through the LINK system.

Miron Construction was awarded the contract for the build-out of the Library’s condominium space, and will begin working soon from the plans and specifications developed by EngbergAnderson Design Professionals, the architects who, working with staff, will make this new, empty space a great library destination in the heart of Madison’s west side. We hope to open the new branch in October; the Sequoya Branch will remain operational at its current site on Midvale Boulevard until the new space is ready for occupancy.

An active and very successful Sequoya Branch Fundraising Committee has been working with the Madison Public Library Foundation and has raised over a million dollars for this project, budgeted at $5.6 million. Thanks to the generosity of major donors, Friends, neighbors, local authors, and the Foundation for helping to make this new branch happen.

Watch the progress of the building with periodic updates of the construction process on the Sequoya Flickr photosharing page, or read updates on our Sequoya web page.

Entry Filed under: Director's Take, Sequoya Updates