UM Clements Library Renovation Approved

A $16.8 million renovation of the University of Michigan’s William L. Clements Library – including an 8,500-square-foot underground addition to house portions of the library’s collection and mechanical equipment – was approved by UM regents at their Nov. 15, 2012 meeting. The library, built in 1923 and located at 909 S. University Ave., specializes in American history and culture from the 15th to the 19th century. The changes will make the collection more accessible, according to university staff.

As described in a staff memo, the project will make upgrades to the building’s infrastructure “in a manner that utilizes historic preservation techniques.” The project will include exterior restoration as well as interior renovations to heating and air-conditioning, fire-suppression, security systems and other infrastructure. SmithGroupJJR will design the project, which will result in roughly 31 on-site construction jobs.

This report was filed from the Anderson Room at the Michigan Union on UM’s central campus in Ann Arbor, where the regents held their November meeting.