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Hale Library Blog

Building Update: It’s all about the atmosphere

Things in Hale Library are starting to lighten up! Many lights are being installed throughout the building and overall, things are definitely starting to come together. Work continues on Historic Farrell Library and along with the new, modern parts of the library, the spirit of Hale Library is starting to visually come alive.

Firstly though, we wanted to address that we’ve received questions regarding the reported collapse on the third floor of the library. We want to assure the community that there was no damage to the library structure. A small section of a stairwell was being in-filled with concrete to create additional floor space on the fourth floor and during the process, the form system became unstable and fell to the floor below.

That event aside, work continues in a very positive direction and we’re excited to share with you our latest photos from the building interior.

A picture of spacers being installed in the cafe flooring.
Joyce and Joe’s Cornerstone Café is coming along at a fast pace. The wooden ceiling has been completely painted black and they are working on installing the tile for the floor. The wooden counters for the café also arrived and are being installed.
A picture of a crew member installing tile in the cafe.
In the background, you can see the special purple soft lighting that is being installed near the ceiling in a few parts of the library. We love that royal purple!
A picture of the counters being installed in the cafe.
Crew members are currently working on the cafe counter area.

The scaffolding in the Great Room has been completely removed and workers are using lifts to install new lights throughout the ceiling. A few of the workmen mentioned they almost wish the scaffolding was still there, since the ceiling is so high! Now that the scaffolding is out of the way, the crew is also working on removing boards from the windows and repairing plaster along the walls.

A picture of the Great Room ceiling.
From the fourth floor balcony, you get a great view of the completed ceiling woodwork and the new lighting.
A picture of the empty Great Room, without scaffolding.
Now that the scaffolding has been removed, it’s easy to see the ceiling and get a sense of how much progress has been made.
A picture of a crew member in the Great Room using a lift.
A crew member uses a lift to reach the ceiling and install new lights.
A picture of crew members using a lift for plaster work.
Crew members have started to repair the plaster throughout the Great Room.

The new purple soft lighting can be seen in multiple spots near the ceiling around the second floor, including near the lobby area and printers, above the help desks and along a section of the study area. Some of the lighting will serve as a back light for lettering; for example, lettering above the help desks and on the first floor, behind lettering for the Dave & Ellie Everitt Learning Commons.

A picture of purple lighting above the IT and library help desks.
Soft purple lighting appears above the new library and IT help desks located centrally on the second floor.

We are extraordinary thankful to the Hutton team members for working hard to restore the library, and thrilled to be able to share frequent photo updates with the community. We want you to share the pride we have in this beautiful building!

One thought on “Building Update: It’s all about the atmosphere
  1. Dear Dean Lori,

    Thanks for sharing the photos. The progress is phenomenal and looks beautiful! Personally and professionally, I continue to wish you, Marty and everyone at K-State Libraries the very best!

    Sincerely,
    Peggy Goe

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