Dauphin County Library System trustee Andrew Enders and Executive Director Karen Cullings, flanked by members of the Pennsylvania Past Players and local and state officials, finish cutting the ribbon at today’s rededication.
Flanked by 19th-century gentlemen in frock coats and ladies in hoop skirts, Andrew Enders said that Harrisburg needs its newly renovated and expanded McCormick Riverfront Library.
“Today isn’t just about opening this space to the public, but it’s also about programming this space with meaningful programs for our community so that we launch this library forward for the next 100 years,” said Enders, co-chair of the $3.5 million capital campaign to modernize Dauphin County Library System’s flagship. “Because yes, history does inform the past and the present, but it’s the future I’m most excited about.”
And to raucous applause from the 200 or so attending the grand reopening, Enders added, “Harrisburg deserves nice things.”
The library held the rededication ceremony on Thursday morning, following a yearlong construction project. Under a vaulted ceiling, with sunlight streaming through clerestory and fan windows, a lineup of fundraisers, elected officials and poets said the project fills a need for a place where all are welcome and discourse is civilized.
A child is busy at play in the new children’s room.
Since 1914, McCormick Riverfront Library has stood at Front and Walnut streets. The graystone building stands on the garden plot of Sara Haldeman Haly, the 19th century socialite whose 1895 bequest of $60,000 launched the modern library system in the county. In a stroke of serendipity, the renovation adjoins the library with that benefactor’s home next door–Haldeman Haly House, built by the architect of Pennsylvania’s first state capitol and once home to a governor who championed free compulsory public education.
Partnerships forged through the renovation project will help the library reach new members and audiences, said Board of Trustees President Annie Garner before the program. They were attracted to the cause by the idea of restoring 3,000 square feet of library space, once crammed with storage and staff, to public use, she said.
“It is a welcoming space to gather, to learn, to research, to dialog, to understand,” she said.
Members of the Pennsylvania Past Players descend the grand staircase that links the library’s main building with the new Haldeman Haly House addition.
As the scent of coffee from the newly installed Good Brotha’s Book Café filled the air, Dauphin County Library System Executive Director Karen Cullings called the project “collaborative.” She thanked the business, foundation and individual campaign donors, the designer and contractors who blended historic and contemporary elements and the staff who worked on the project and kept the library open during renovations.
“Your library is now poised to help generations immerse themselves in our region’s heritage, which is rich in history and achievement,” Cullings said. “And you know what? You can even get a great cup of coffee right down there at Good Brotha’s Café.”
Again, the crowd burst into grateful applause.
Campaign co-chair Susan L. Anthony said supporters and backers coalesced quickly, despite the intervening pandemic. As one donor told her, people give to people, and they responded “with open hearts.”
State Sen. John DiSanto, who secured a major state grant toward the project, and state Rep. Patty Kim shared fond memories of libraries as places of learning, open to all. Dauphin County commissioners noted the role of the library in community unification, education and linking residents with social, housing and job supports.
State Librarian Sue Banks called the renovation “a model project for the entire state, for the country, especially in terms of a user-focused service and facility.” The planned reopening of the renovated State Library at the other end of Walnut Street will create a “corridor of learning and knowledge and exchange and support and history,” she said.
Phyllis Hicks, executive director of the Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, remembered when the library’s patronage reminded her of her days in the segregated South. Among the audience attending the rededication, she marveled at the diversity of the crowd.
“The library looks like America,” she said. “This is the America that my mother dreamed of. We’re moving in the right direction.”
T. Morris Chester, a Harrisburg native and 19th-century journalist and abolitionist, holds a place of honor in the new T. Morris Chester Welcome Center and Research Collection. His fight is not over, speakers said.
“He was unsung for 100 years before people started recognizing him again,” said Cate Barron, president of PA Media Group, a project backer. “It was a terrible omission. We’re helping with anything we can do celebrate his story and his incredible achievements.”
Yvette Davis speaks with Hettie Love, a long-time library supporter who plans to celebrate her 100th birthday this month by reading to students in the new children’s room.
The Pennsylvania Past Players–costumed reenactors sharing the stories of historic fighters for justice–now have office space and a versatile community room for salons, presentations and dances.
“We have waited so long for an anchor that makes history matter,” said Lenwood Sloan, the troupe’s leader. “For us to be in residency here allows us to develop understanding of not only why history matters but also develop other interpreters.”
Library regular Phillip Davis already has his spot picked out. The curved carrel upholstered in mustard yellow, he noted, “has USB ports and everything.”
“I just check out books and read,” he said. And the renovation “really is nice. I love it.”
The day’s theme centered around the library’s welcome to people from all walks of life, from the unhoused and underrepresented to families and professionals on lunch break.
“This is our community’s space,” Enders said. “It’s a unique space in Harrisburg. There isn’t anything quite like this building. A flagship library is something that is particularly special, and one that is so airy and light and bright and welcoming — this is special. We want people to linger. That’s my favorite. Hang out. This is it.”
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
