In his April message to the Saint Louis University community, President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., said the University is continuing to explore the possibility of renovating Pius XII Memorial Library, assuring that updates are made to current study spaces. Plans, however, are not definite.
The University sent a request for proposal in the fall to identify an architect for the library project. Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects, an architectural firm based in Boston, was selected to create a set of potential design plans.
“Perry Dean Rogers is a leader in their field and is dedicated to building SLU the library it desires and needs,” Student Government Association Academic Vice President Katie Becherer said.
Members of Perry Dean Rogers visited SLU the first week of April, kicking off a 20-week design process. Director of Pius Library David Cassens said the three-day meeting with the architects included a tour of the library and discussion of relevant points about the building and general renovation needs.
“We’re very pleased with the architects, I’m sure we’ll have an open exchange with them about the needs we hope will be implemented for Pius Library,” Cassens said.
To gather student input, SGA invited students to a town hall meeting with the architects on April 5. Becherer said this town hall was one of the highlights of her time on SGA.
“I was so proud to be a member of a student body that asked intuitive questions and offered insightful suggestions,” she said.
SGA President Courtney Anvender said the architects were proficient when interpreting what students and faculty had to say during the town hall.
Perry Dean Rogers has collaborated on many other university library projects, including work at Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University and Webster University in St. Louis, among others.
“[The architects] understand student culture and know the building needs to be a place that fits our lifestyle,” Anvender said.
At the meeting, students were able to ask questions and offer suggestions to the architects that will be incorporated into a number of design proposals to be presented at the end of the design process.
“We are just so pleased to finally get started on this; we interviewed here in January and saw the building, and we said, ‘Wow, this has nothing but potential,” Martha Pilgreen, a principal of Perry Dean Rogers, said in the meeting.
During the design process, the architects plan to make two additional visits to campus. Anvender said the architects will present design plans that can be used for fundraising to the board of trustees in September.
“Much work still needs to be done, including identifying funding sources, but this potential project is a priority for students and for me as well,” Biondi said in his message.
The push for a library renovation began last spring. A survey on the library was distributed to students, and members of SGA researched the libraries at peer institutions.
The comparative research was combined with feedback from the surveys to create a proposal for renovation. SGA members presented the proposal to the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) and the board of trustees in the fall.
“What I believe sets this project apart is that it is student-driven and student-focused,” Becherer said. “The administration recognizes this dynamic, and I believe they are committed to seeing that the library renovations reflect the students’ wants and needs.”
Since the project is in the initial design phase, no concrete renovation plans have been decided.
“We really don’t know what [the architects] will come back with,” Cassens said. “We’re still waiting for them to give us ideas.”
As the project moves forward, members of SGA said they are confident that students will be given a voice in the renovation plans. Incoming SGA Academic Vice President Patrick Grillot has been involved with the library project since the research phase began and said he plans to keep students engaged with the library project.
“I encourage students to really dream big,” Grillot said. “If we have to cut back, that happens, but we’re really looking for the best we can get out of [the renovation].”
Grillot said he would like to see an entrance on West Pine into the library, an expanded capacity and other amenities that will make Pius the centerpiece of campus in the design proposals.
“Students really want a functional space to study that they feel comfortable in,” Grillot said.
Anvender said continuing to gather student energy and feedback is vital for the project’s success.
“[Pius] needs to be a building full of life that inspires learning. In order for that to happen students need to express what learning really means for them,” Anvender said.
Pilgreen also acknowledged the value of student involvement during the town hall.
“It is important for students to speak very clearly and very loudly about the services they need to be better scholars and better citizens,” Pilgreen said. “It has been tremendously insightful how they have thought about what they want for the library.”
