Consultant: library does fit

MILFORD — The building task force of the Pike County Public Library, this week released a report on the proposed new central library design by the consulting firm CivicVisions. Unlike one prepared for the borough’s architectural review board, it finds that library design is consistent with Milford’s historic district. According to a statement from the task force, the report’s authors are prominent Pennsylvania preservationist, architectural historian, author, and founding member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Historic Preservation Program, Dr. George E. Thomas, and Susan Nigra Snyder, architect, University of Pennsylvania professor, and former chair of the Philadelphia Architectural Review Board. Both served on the library’s design competition jury. The report, “Analysis: Milford PA Historic District Ordinance for the Pike County Public Library,” demonstrates how the library design conforms to the Milford Historic District Ordinance. Explaining the decision to commission the report, Maleyne Syracuse, chair of the building task force, said: “We continue our commitment to working with the Architectural Review Board and the Milford Borough Council to build a library that reflects Milford’s tradition of architectural excellence and diversity. The design review process was a welcome incentive for us to take a closer look at how the new library would fit into our town as we move forward to the next stages of project development. CivicVisions has provided a thoughtful analysis of award-winning New York architect Frederic Schwartz’s innovative design and confirmed that it is an appropriate addition to our beautiful and unique town.” CivicVisions in-depth analysis observes that Milford’s historic and architectural significance depends on several key elements, including: Milford’s architectural diversity: The National Register of Historic Places’ designation of Milford’s Historic District recognizes that Milford has a unique diversity of historically significant architecture ranging in style from early 19th century Greek Revival architecture up to 20th century Art Moderne; ranging in scale from diminutive wood-frame cottages to grand bluestone public architecture; and ranging in quality from local vernacular building to highly sophisticated architecture. Milford’s architectural excellence: Milford has a long-standing connection with sophisticated urban culture that has influenced the town’s architectural heritage. This cultural connection was not limited to architecture—Milford has a long tradition of welcoming artists, filmmakers, philosophers, and other creative people—but the traces of an historic link with big cities, especially New York, are most visible in the architecture. Since the mid-1800s, nationally renowned architects such as Calvert Vaux, Richard Morris Hunt, and Heins & LaFarge worked in Milford creating architecturally important public buildings like Forest Hall and the Milford Post Office, and significant private dwellings like Grey Towers and the Pinchot homestead (the current library). The authors conclude that a strong contemporary design by internationally-renowned, New York based architect Frederic Schwartz Architects (FSA) continues Milford’s rich tradition of hiring significant national architects for important public buildings and appreciating diverse architectural styles. In addition to these broader issues, CivicVision’s analysis confirms that the primary elements of Schwartz’s design (for example, its form and massing, setback from the street, use of side-yards, symmetry, and horizontal proportions) relate expressly to the existing building features that help establish the distinctive character of Milford’s historic district. The authors note that “by meeting the test of compatibility,” this inventive and contemporary design falls clearly within the framework of the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and meets the Review Board’s own guidelines for analysis of Design and Detailing. The full text of the report is available on the Pike County Public Library’s Web site at www.pcpl.org. The task force statement concludes; “The Building Task Force plans to continue to meet with the Architectural Review Board and other government entities to obtain required approvals for this project.”