Letter to Dublin City Council

March 23, 2017 To: Dublin City Council Dublin is fortunate to be able to consider the proposal by the Columbus Metropolitan Library System to build a large, up-to-date library for the city and its residents. I have taken some time to review the project and the thought process behind it. As a community member who has lived in Dublin for the past 22 years (and the Dublin School District for 30 years) I strongly support the project and I’d like to explain my reasons. 1) Libraries today are very different from what they used to be, and Dublin, as a growing well-educated community that greatly values learning and knowledge work, needs a new library. Books, magazines, newspapers, films, television shows, music and other forms of media are being produced and stored today in digital forms. Louis Sullivan, the famous Chicago-based architect, liked to observe that “form follows function.” This insight to a great extent frees libraries from being just vast warehouses of books, music and media. A big part of the role of libraries today is to create spaces that inspire us to explore new knowledge areas, learn as many new things as we can, think new, creative thoughts, and work collaboratively with others. Contemporary architecture has been used to unleash human imagination by libraries and other cultural institutions such as museums and universities in this country and around the world. The Dublin library will be constructed with all of these functions incorporated in its design. 2) The proposed new library is a three-level building with significant amounts of glass on the top floor that will enclose a vast reading room. It is a dramatic design that will be one of the architectural highlights of our city. Respectful of the scale of other buildings in the area, one of the levels is partially below grade. The new library is not designed to be in memory of Dublin’s past wonderful history, but to reflect the unconventional, out-of-box visionary thinking, and creative spirit that has attracted so many of us to Dublin, and to proudly call it home. Why does it have to be contemporary? Such architecture is favored for significant civic buildings today because the spaces can be open, dramatic and inspiring, and yet relatively affordable to create on tight budgets. National guidelines for infill development in historic areas recommend against trying to re-create historical buildings or creating fake historical structures as one might experience at Disneyland. While many people appreciate these fantasies when visiting Disney properties throughout the world, here in the real world of Dublin, we deserve authentic structures that are of our time and place, reflecting the way we live and work today. 3) Why does the contemporary building have to be at the same site as the present library? This is a decision made by the Columbus Library System. But in fact this is the ideal spot since the library site at 75 North High Street has an important history that is intimately tied with learning. It was the site of the city’s first school building, a three-story brick structure that has long been demolished. The current library is not a historic structure. Given the longstanding precedent for the use of the site for public education and learning, it is in many ways the perfect site for the new library. Arguably, rededicating this important historical site for the new library honors this important part of Dublin’s past and present -- and projects this continuity into the future. Framed in this way, many residents might agree that there is no better way to honor the history of our community than to build a new library in the same place. 4) Some residents have been troubled by how the proposed contemporary architecture fits with the historic community to the south. The buildings directly east across High Street are not historic. And while there are a couple of significant historic buildings north of Bridge Street, most are not. The vast majority of the significant historic structures of old Dublin are south of High Street. These have been interspersed over the years with various additions, renovations, and infill projects that have been built over a long period of time. Arguably, this is one of the things that we most appreciate about old Dublin – that it reflects a mix of styles that reminds us of our community’s history and tells how far we have come as a community. The Bridge Park West condominium, office and retail project is already transforming the area to the east of the library. Bridge Park and the library are catalytic projects that will revitalize the commercial and residential areas west of the river. The tensions surrounding the building of this library on such a site remind me of I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid proposed as a new visitor entrance to the classic, historical Louvre Museum in Paris. At the time of its design and development many French people opposed the glass pyramid and even hated it. Today, everyone loves it. The new library, together with the proposed pedestrian bridge, the Dublin Veteran’s Grounds of Remembrance memorial, and natural wonders of Indian Run, will all contribute to the economic revitalization of old Dublin, which will emerge as an even more unique, interesting and inspiring area in which to live and work than it is today. This will be not only the pride of the Dublin community, but also perhaps an inspiration for other communities in the United States and throughout the world. 5) Most people in the community recognize the need for the new library and since Columbus Metropolitan Library is paying for it, in some ways it ought to be an easy decision. But there has been disagreement and misunderstanding over some of the issues I’ve addressed above. When we make important civic decisions like whether to build this proposed library, we owe it to one another as citizens to be as informed and fact-based as possible in our discussions and interactions. It’s fairly clear from the hundreds of social media posts about the topic that many people are interested in getting this project right from their point of view. But there is also evidence of substantial misinformation. One valuable aspect of controversy is that it generates interest – and in fact many people are curious about the new library. Fortunately there are many easy-to-access learning opportunities. The city’s web site contains a lot of factual information about the library project. [http://bridgestreet.dublinohiousa.gov/dublin-branch-of-the-columbus-metropolitan-library/]. A very useful and concise way to learn about the project quickly was the City Council work session of March 6, where a lot of useful information was shared by the city’s planning staff, and the Columbus Metropolitan Library System’s architects. This can be seen at [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkqmJ7F9R2E]. Most people who take the time to avail themselves of these sources will find them highly informative and reassuring. The time has come for Dublin residents to inform themselves about this important project and share their views with our elected representatives. A few vocal people can have the ability to kill a worthy project unless others step up in support. Informing ourselves about the project still doesn’t mean that we will all agree. But we can approach our differences with respect and try to understand the views – both hopes and fears – of our fellow citizens. Developing understanding and empathy for the views of our neighbors are in and of themselves important civic outcomes. All Dubliners love our city and want what’s best for it as they see it. This may be the ultimate act of democratic citizenship – reasonable people who realize they have significant differences, but agree to study, talk and reason together to try to resolve them by reaching the best solution. That is the way Dublin has been and I trust that will be the way Dublin will continue to be as decisions are made about building this library and other projects that will benefit this city we love for generations to come. And this will be much easier in the future if we had an impressive new library to help us. Regards, Jerry Kosicki