The tower of Baker Library will be rehabilitated if not replaced starting next summer (as noted in The Dartmouth and discussed in the Valley News). The design appears to be by Bruner/Cott & Associates of Boston.
The Valley News writes that “with the renovations will come built-in LED illumination that will highlight architectural details ‘in a really elegant way,'” quoting Lisa Hogarty. The lighting design is by Lewis Lighting.
The article describes renovations to the upper, wood-framed portion of the tower, and as usual it leaves out the dirty word “demolition.” But sentences like this one sure make it seem as if the school is planning to demolish at least part of the tower and then replicate it:
Hogarty said the plan was to rebuild the bell tower to “as close to the original architectural details as we can[.]”
Does that mean that just the open cupola with the balcony will be replaced? It is not clear.
The old frame tower and cupola are not finely-worked structures meant for close-up viewing, so the school should be able to replicate precisely those parts that it cannot preserve. One does hope that the school will document before demolition,1The graffiti inside the tower really should be photographed. salvage for another use some of the historic materials that cannot be retained in the new structure, and try to avoid using synthetic materials on the exterior.2The warranty for Hardieplank Artizan HZ10 siding, for example, is limited to thirty years and does not apply in New Hampshire (pdf).
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