The Saucer is Saved, But Not the Library

It looks like the saucer will be saved, but the library behind it will not be.

According to an article in the Gazette, the architects in charge of designing a new public library in Hyattsville will keep the iconic entryway. But, to the disappointment of some local activists, they still intend to tear down the aged building it’s attached to:

“We heard loud and clear that the saucer is important to the community as both an architectural feature and as a community icon that people have grown up with,” said Melanie Hennigan, president of Grimm + Parker, the Calverton-based architectural firm hired by the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System to design a new Hyattsville branch library.

All three options presented by Grimm + Parker at a community meeting kept the saucer, either as an entryway or else as part of a mini-park on site.

The architects also plan to do a “feasibility study” of renovating the existing building, but given the problems of meeting modern standards for access for the disabled and more natural lighting, this is likely just so much window dressing so that local politicians will seem responsive to the community.

The Hyattsville Wire has said all along this would be the best outcome — respecting the city’s past and keeping it funky while also putting the needs of library patrons first.

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