Photo by Mike Wolanin | The Republic North Christian Church in Columbus, seen in a September 2022 photo.
The Bartholomew County Public Library board’s Monday meeting will be at a historic venue that could become a future library facility — North Christian Church.
And while BCPL director Jason Hatton said the board will be focused on North Christian during its visit, the cramped library system is also looking at expanding into a small branch to serve Columbus’ east side.
While the board has not formally acted on either proposal, a facilities strategy the board reviewed in January listed long-term expansion goals. “Recommendations are for a new dedicated facility in East Columbus, taking stewardship of North Christian Church, and relocating the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives into a new, downtown, stand-alone facility,” the document said.
“We are brimming to the top,” Hatton said of the library’s space needs. Confined to the main library downtown and a branch location in Hope, the library has been exploring ways to delivery varied programming and services to a greater number of patrons. He said North Christian Church and its grounds could serve as a programming venue that would provide outreach opportunities to more than 4,000 students who live within walking distance.
“The biggest thing the board is going to be doing is listening” during its meeting Monday at North, Hatton said.
He noted several people with expertise about the building will be on hand to speak and answer questions from library board members. Among them will be Tracy Souza, director of Heritage Fund — The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County; Landmark Columbus Foundation director Richard McCoy; Community Education Coalition CEO emeritus and former First Christian congregation member John Burnett; and Brian Russell, who serves on the board of the Columbus Capital Foundation. That nonprofit entity is holding and caretaking North Christian pending its future reuse.
The dwindling congregation of North Christian, which met in worship for the final time in July 2022, has offered to donate the property to the library as a future hub. While the library’s facilities plan recommends accepting the donation, the board is not expected to vote on formally accepting the donation until probably its April meeting, Hatton said.
“We now have all the data and it’s really up to the library board to take that data and make a decision,” Hatton said. And while the board has toured North before, he said Monday’s meeting would give library board members an opportunity to talk to people he’s been talking with about the facility and personally address any questions and concerns they might have.
“We need more space. This is a good space,” Hatton said. “I’m pretty confident we can use and renovate the North Christian property. … Taking a gift this huge and monumental and turning into a public good is just a win-win for everybody.
“It would really allow that property to become a public property,” he said. “… The library can be that kind of steward.
“… This is a big, big, decision. It’s not something we take lightly.”
If the board does accept stewardship of the 1964 Eero Saarinen-designed church, it would have to balance future uses with the preservation requirements of a National Historic Landmark. Accessibility and bringing the facility into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act also would be a challenge, Hatton said.
He estimated that any future library use of North Christian might not be ready for the public until perhaps 2028, though he said use of the church’s grounds for programming could happen years sooner.
Meantime, the library also is exploring prospects for a new branch facility that would serve East Columbus. Hatton said that most likely would be a smaller facility of perhaps 2,500 square feet that could provide library services, perhaps in a storefront-style setting.
And while planning for an east side location is in the early stages, Hatton said it’s probable that a branch serving East Columbus could be up and running before library services are offered at the former North Christian Church.
The library board will meet at 4 p.m. Monday at North Christian Church, 850 Tipton Lane, Columbus. The meeting is open to the public.
