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Three major building projects are currently underway to enhance and expand our physical spaces

enabling HPL to increase programs, collections and services for our community.   

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• Downtown Library  

  • ​Repair and/or replacement of the Downtown Library's floors, staircases, walls, and the main service elevator started in November of 2023 and is ongoing. The first phase of repair and renovation work will be completed in late 2024 allowing for additional public spaces in the Downtown Library to open. UConn classrooms and the academic library are scheduled to reopen in early 2025.

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• Albany Library 

  • A renovation and expansion of the Albany Library is in the planning process. The architectural firm SilverPetrucelli is leading the design process, with assistance from Margaret Sullivan Studios to lead community engagement and interior design.  The project includes remediation and renovation of the former North West Jones School, which will become a part of the  Albany Library, linked by a newly constructed addition. The project entails stabilization and remediation of the historic former school building. The project is slated to commence in 2025. 

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• Barbour Library 

  • Replacement of the Barbour Library, currently operating in leased space, is the top priority of the Library’s Capital Plan. In March 2023, the Hartford Public Library Board of Directors formally requested that the City authorize the Library to construct a new Library on the former Snyder Supermarket lot, at 234 Barbour Street, Hartford.  The decision to build a new library on city-owned property provides the Library with long term sustainability and the ability to serve as an economic, educational and cultural anchor for the community. The new 15,000 sq. ft. Library will replace the current 2,000 sq. ft. storefront Library current located in Unity Plaza.  Design development is well underway, with groundbreaking anticipated in 2024.