South Orange Village officially broke ground on the South Orange Public Library’s $17.5M expansion and renovation under cloudy skies on June 16.
South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum heralded the investment in the library.
“When you see a democracy under attack … libraries are the foundational pillars for democracy in our world right now,” said Collum, who said she was quoting Council member Bill Haskins.
“It’s where people get access to information. It’s where they learn about what’s going on, and it’s a place of mobilization,” said Collum. “Having a free public library – where there are no bans on books, where kids and adults alike can come here and know that they will have access to information that will help transform their knowledge of the issues they are looking into … this is what democracy looks like in our community.”
“Public response to the project has been incredible,” said South Orange Public Library Director Jill Faherty, who thanked the many funders and donors involved in the project. “We can’t wait to open the doors to patrons and hope to do so by the end of 2027.”
In April, the Village Council awarded a $14.1 million contract with its lowest bidder, Grove Construction LLC, for the renovations to the library, which has been closed since early 2024 to prepare for construction. With bids higher than expected for the renovations, the South Orange Village Council voted in February to appropriate $1 million in supplementary bond money to add to the $16 million already allocated for the total costs. An additional $1.5M is being raised by the Foundation for SOPL.
Foundation President Laura Epstein reported that the Building Connections Campaign had raised $1.2 million thus far and was looking for an additional $300K to close the gap. Epstein can be reached through the Foundation’s website at [email protected].
The project will renovate the empty library space and connect it the historical 1896 Connett building next door, using designs by award-winning New York City architect Andrew Berman, who grew up in South Orange and graduated from Columbia High School.
Village Council members carried a photo of retired Council member Karen Hartshorn Hilton who was an instrumental champion of the project on the Village Council, but who could not attend the groundbreaking.
South Orange Council member Steve Schnall carries a photo of Karen Hilton who could not be present for the groundbreaking.
From the South Orange Public Library:
SOUTH ORANGE PUBLIC LIBRARY BREAKS GROUND ON MAJOR EXPANSION
Building Connections Project Will Transform Library Programming and Services
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ, June 16, 2025 — Elected village officials, library leaders, and top donors gathered to mark the start of construction on an $17.5 million transformation of the South Orange Public Library. They put shovels in the ground in the space between the existing and the original library buildings, where a new light-infused entrance linking the two structures will be built.
The Building Connections Project will expand the size of the library by 75 percent, improve technology infrastructure, and include a makerspace, small study rooms, a Teen Room, and a Children’s Garden, among other new spaces and uses. The design by the award-winning New York City-based firm of Andrew Berman Architect delivers maximum flexibility and enhanced user experience, as well as sustainability.
According to SOPL Director Jill Faherty, “Public response to the project has been incredible. We can’t wait to open the doors to patrons and hope to do so by the end of 2027.” The contract for construction was awarded to Grove Contracting LLC. Renderings of the designs by Andrew Berman Architect are on the library’s website, sopl.org/building-connections-project/.
SOPL Board President Hildy Karp comments, “Special thanks to the many people who have given their time, money, and talent to this project. Everyone in South Orange will benefit as the new library will be the heart of the village and an essential component of our civic Infrastructure.”
Foundation for SOPL President Laura Epstein says, “The Building Connections Campaign has raised $1.2 million from the community but the project budget requires a total of $1.5 million on top of the State and Village funding. I hope people will be excited to see the project get underway and step up to support it!” Epstein can be reached through the Foundation’s website at [email protected].
This project is supported by funds from the New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act, administered by the New Jersey State Library.
Photos by. Doug Zacker:
