Library Building Project

A Proud Past -- A Progressive Future:
Site and Architect  

The site of the Lee Mansion.  
The Library will be built on this site west of the historical mansion.

Written by Bob Hill
The first step has been taken down the road toward the building of a new library in Independence.  The beautiful park setting west of the Lee Mansion (old hospital site) on First Street East near East Elementary School has been selected as the building site.  The site allows our community to blend a new “Twenty-First Century” library facility with one of our oldest community landmarks.  The location will provide easy access for all of our community residents, whether by walking, bicycling, or driving.

Great care was taken by the building committee and library board in the selection of an architect with knowledge of Independence’s historical background & future needs, combined with a wealth of knowledge in building high-quality state-of-the-art library facilities throughout Eastern Iowa. The library building committee and library board is very happy to have secured the services of the Gardner Architectural Firm located in Strawberry Point, Iowa.  Tom Gardner is the lead architect for this community project, and has personally been involved in many unique and highly successful projects in Independence.  His work includes BankIowa, Kidsville, the Mill, and homes for Steve & Liz Kilgard and Dolph & Marybeth Leytze.  He also has a great deal of experience designing libraries, having built 25 libraries in the past 15 years.  Some of those are in nearby communities of Denver, Dyersville, Elgin, Elkader, Hudson, Jesup, Shell Rock, Strawberry Point, and Sumner. 

It is the building committee’s and library board’s goal to have funding for our new library come from private donations and grants, combined with the $700,000 jump-start commitment from the city of Independence.  The funds from the city will come from local-option sales tax, otherwise known as community betterment money.

The Library Building Committee consists of approximately 20 people drawn from the general community population, the city council, the library board, and the library staff.  The goal of everyone involved is to develop a library blueprint that will offer better and more extensive services for young and old alike.  Community members will experience a personal feeling of pride in the new library along with an appreciation for how much easier it will be to meet each of your needs.  Interested individuals should feel free to contact Dave Iverson (334-4479) or Mary Stevenson (334-2866), building committee co-chairs, with their ideas.  The new library will be your library, so let us know what you would like to see in the facility.

In the months to come we will be keeping you updated on the progress as we move toward our final destination of opening the doors of your new library!     

Other Building Project Articles:
Donation Form
Fundraising Event - SPELLBOUND!
Library Campaign Passes $2.5 Million
A Proud Past...A Progressive Future
Library Campaign Awarded CAT Grant!
How Can I Help the Library Reach Goal?
Answers to Capital Campaign Questions
Frequently Asked Questions and Thoughts about the New Library
Building Plans Detailed
Elevations and Floor Plan
Campaign Chair Selected
Site and Architect
Children's Area
Top 10 Reasons a New Public Library is Needed
Young Adult Area

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