Carla Clark | For The Republic People gather for the Bartholomew County Public Library ribbon cutting to announce the new name, The LEX: The Library of Experience, 850 Tipton Lane, Columbus Ind., Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Columbus police are continuing an investigation into a burglary and vandalism at The LEX by BCPL facility, the recently renamed former North Christian Church building.
Bartholomew County Public Library Director Jason Hatton said in the early morning hours of last Friday, the LEX had a break-in and the vandals used fire extinguishers to spray throughout the hallways and throughout the building.
The damage was done to both the downstairs and upstairs of the building which is designated as a national historic landmark, along with some of the building’s furnishings being broken.
Detectives are assessing what is missing from the building in addition to documenting the vandalism, said Lt. Skylar Berry, Columbus Police Department spokesman. Tools and other construction items appear to be the items that were targeted, he said.
Contractors who are working to replace the boiler in the building went in Friday morning and discovered the break-in and the vandalism, Hatton said.
The building is now closed while library officials work to find a restoration company to meticulously clean the fire extinguisher material from the building. Hatton said they are unsure on how long it will take to find someone to do the work as so many restoration companies are working on flood damage throughout southern Indiana at this time.
Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman, said the material in the fire extinguishers is a dry powder with fire suppressant in it, a relatively harmless material but with such a fine powder being spread over large surfaces, it’s a pretty substantial cleanup process. The powder could be a respiratory irritant and anyone cleaning it up would need some breathing protection as the chemicals in the powder shouldn’t be inhaled, he said.
Wilson also noted that fire extinguishers are not cheap and those that were emptied will need to be replaced, another cost that will be part of the restoration.
Hatton said library officials hope to have the building cleaned and back open for availability, including the Columbus’ architecture tour, soon.
Library officials currently do not know how access was gained into the building. The LEX did have some security cameras operating, but the library is now planning to upgrade to amp up its security in the building due to the damage. Columbus police are checking security cameras on nearby buildings to determine who might have been at The LEX in the time period of the break-in.
Library officials expressed their appreciation to the community for the stories, kind words and anticipation for what The LEX will mean to the community following its ribbon cutting last week.
“We feel honored to be the stewards of this historic landmark, and we are working diligently to open this space so that every community member can experience the property’s beauty,” the library said in a statement.
