Around the State: Suffield

Designed in 1972 by Connecticut architect Warren Platner, the town’s Kent Memorial Library is at the center of a preservation dispute. A town building committee has recommended that the building be demolished to make way for a new library that would be larger and fully accessible. An additional factor is lingering resentment over the construction of a Modernist building in Suffield’s center, which is both a National Register district and a local historic district.


Built around a central courtyard, the library is a formal, symmetrical design intended to compliment the Colonial and Federal-era buildings of Suffield’s main street. Inside, there are elegant finishes and small nooks to provide private spaces for reading and study. Large windows provide plenty of light.


Connecticut Circuit Rider Brad Schide met with the historic district commission, who initially were disposed to approve demolition. However, as a result of the meeting the commissioners came to understand the significance of the structure. They wanted to know if there were alternatives that would allow the building to be preserved. William Crosskey, an architect and member of the Connecticut Trust’s Board of Trustees, agreed to provide information on possibilities for rehabilitation.


Crosskey presented schematic drawings to the commission and the building committee at separate meetings in January, showing how the needs for to accessibility and additional space could be met while preserving Platner’s vision—and less expensively than a new building. This alternative set off a round of strongly-worded arguments in the media and around town.


If the building committee goes forward with its plans, the historic district commission will have to approve demolition of the existing library. Unfortunately, proponents of a new building are accusing the commission of obstructionism, even though no application has yet been made. In the meantime, the Trust is planning to hold one of its regular workshops for historic district commissioners in Suffield in March. It is hoped that this event will help commissioners to make a thoughtful and informed decision when they are called to do so.  

Save Kent -Web site devoted to preservation of the Kent Memorial Library in Suffield.