MSA worked with the Sauk City Public Library for several years in programming and expansion planning for its existing 1970s Colonial-style facility. However, things took an exciting turn when the Culver’s Foundation offered a generous donation to help the library purchase and renovate an historic heavy timber-framed building in the community. The building had served a lot of unique purposes over the years; long ago, it was a tombstone manufacturing facility, then a railroad right of way, and more recently — a contemporary commercial telemarketing call center.

The facility was considered for suitability and the library redirected efforts toward planning for their new home. MSA worked in close concert with the library to assess spatial and site needs for the building, resulting in a renovation design that would transform the office facility into a public library and gathering space. As the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, careful consideration was made to design for library functionality, while also implementing respectful alterations of the historic space — details that earned approval from the Wisconsin State Historical Society.

The work included a reconfigured parking lot, new street public entrance canopy and plaza with beautiful landscaping, and a free-standing heavy timber kiosk to welcome patrons. The 10,000-square-foot space also includes a new open central area with service desk, added seating areas and historic decorative potbelly stove to pay homage to the original time period of the facility. A nearby glassed-in Teen Loft houses a two- story bank of study rooms (six total) overlooking the adult book collection area and allows easy patron observation by the librarians. A wheelchair lift, along with other building alterations and ADA-compliant accommodations ensure accessibility. A large program room was developed in one wing of the facility, while the other wing accommodates part of the children’s book collection and story time area.  Complete with warm, industrial-tinged lighting displays, the new building is fresh, welcoming and steeped in local flavor.

The community of Sauk City and library staff are beginning their next chapter in a unique, freshly renovated historic building — now named the George Culver Community Library. MSA is proud to have supported making this vision a reality by providing planning, architectural/engineering design and construction administration services.