WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 8, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Jay Tibshraeny and members of the City Council will help rededicate the Copper Room, a vital multipurpose space on the second floor of the Downtown Chandler Library, in a public ceremony at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 22, 2015.
The 5,100-square-foot Copper Room can be divided into several smaller areas that can be used for different purposes simultaneously. The new design gives Library staff more flexibility for scheduling classes and programs, plus meeting and rental spaces for the public and City departments. The room now features enhanced multimedia capabilities, with upgraded audio/video equipment and variable lighting that will provide library visitors with a more cinematic experience when films are shown.
Library staff has been using the new space for several weeks and they anticipate that it will function as a community gathering place for many of the people, businesses, educational and cultural organizations in the vicinity of downtown Chandler and beyond.
“With the popularity of children’s activities and family programming, this space will be utilized quite a bit by library staff” according to Library Manager and Cultural Affairs Director, Brenda Brown. She adds, “We have already hosted community events, such as ‘A Conversation with Holocaust Survivor Helen Handler,’ and were able to accommodate the large audience very easily.”
From 1996 through 2010, the second floor space at the Downtown Library served as the meeting chambers for the City Council, an adjacent video production studio and control room, and storage rooms. When a larger Council Chambers and television studio were built in the new City Hall complex that opened in the fall of 2010, the vacated library space was renamed the Copper Room and used for a variety of classes and programs during the past four years.
While the previous space was used for library programs, it was not an optimal space. A large raised dais area, where City Council members once presided during meetings was removed. Also, a removable room divider was added so that the space could be used as either one room or two. The public was invited to review the plans for the renovation in October of last year and construction began in February of this year. Durkin Architects provided the design for the project and Builders Guild, Inc. served as the contractors.
The Chandler Downtown Library is located at 22 South Delaware Street. For more information, please call 480-782-2800 or go to www.chandlerlibrary.org.
