CROWN POINT | A Wednesday groundbreaking is set for a new downtown library following months of planning and a few final tweaks to the building design.
"We're excited," Library Director Lynn Frank said.
The $12 million, 46,750-square-foot library is expected to open in January 2013 to replace the library at 214 S. Court St.
Plans call for the red brick building to occupy about a half block, rising to three stories at its peak and sporting a small tower with the library's name.
The city's Historic Preservation Commission, which oversees compliance with historic district regulations, signed off earlier this month on final design revisions.
The structure will face Main Street to the west and East Street to the east, but its entry is from the south near the middle of the block and within reach of a planned new parking lot on East Street.
Officials are considering making Robinson Court to the north of the building a one-way street to accommodate traffic.
The city bought an adjacent building housing the Homann Karate-Do to accommodate the library. The building will be demolished. The karate school will move to a new home in the city-owned North Street athletic complex.
Lack of space in the existing library led to the new facility.
The original library opened in in 1908 in the Carnegie Center on South Main Street, built with a $12,000 donation from U.S. industrialist Andrew Carnegie. The Carnegie Center annex housing the current library was built in 1972.
The groundbreaking ceremony is at 4 p.m.
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