A red-brick facade with an ivory trim is one of the many design details for the “amazing replacement library that is very, very needed” in Brandon, according to Andrew Breidenbaugh, director of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Library System.
Hillsborough County commissioners at their November 16, 2022, meeting reviewed initial design concepts for the $12.5 million, single-story, 25,000-square-foot library set to stand roughly 3,000 feet from the original library at 619 Vonderburg Dr. in Brandon. That library opened on March 10, 1991.
The new library is set for construction on the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Lumsden Road and Parsons Avenue.
“Procurement for the design phase is underway and expected to be made in mid-2023,” Breidenbaugh said, “and as most of our libraries take about a year of design and a year of construction, we expect completion sometime in late 2025.”
The neoclassical design “is very reminiscent of the Carnegie era of library construction,” Breidenbaugh said. “The design incorporates red-brick facade with ivory trim, entry porticos with Ionic columns, a standing seam roof that will be topped by a raised cupola that perhaps will include a clock or clock tower in its design, and public art potential for the driveway.”
At his last meeting as a two-term Hillsborough County commissioner, Stacy White said he appreciated the staff’s efforts to present the library mock-up designs in time for him to review before giving up his seat to Michael Owen, the newly elected commissioner for the District 4 seat.
“I have been working with staff on this library rebuild for a long time,” White said before making a motion to receive the report and to direct staff to ensure “that the selected design and/or architectural professionals for this library rebuild design the building substantially as depicted in the images.”
The motion carried 6-0.
“I am thrilled to see this happen,” Commissioner Kimberly Overman said. “This is a good example of what our ad valorem and other fees go towards, bringing a beautiful resource like this into a community that certainly needs this type of enhancement.”
