Finegold Alexander Architects celebrated the groundbreaking for the Jones Public Library in Amherst, MA on June 18. The ceremony included speeches from U.S. Representative Jim McGovern; Austin Sarat, President of the Jones Library Board of Trustees; Lynn Griesemer, President of the Amherst Town Council; Anika Lopes, Founder and Director of the Ancestral Bridges Foundation; Amherst Residents Emily Wang and Michael Baun; Alex Lefebvre, member of the Jones Library Building Committee; Timothy Cherubini, Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC); and Sharon Sharry, Director of Jones Library.

“Great communities deserve great libraries!”

- U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern

It was a well-attended event with Amherst residents and project team members including Finegold Alexander Principal-in-Charge Ellen Anselone, Design Principal Tony Hsiao, Project Manager Josephine Penta, Project Architect Dan Wilder and Principal Emeritus Jim Alexander, who snagged a selfie with the Jones Library mascot!

The Jones Library Renovation and Expansion is a $46.1 million project for Finegold Alexander, with Fontaine Brothers as the General Contractor. Designed by Putnam & Cox in 1928, Jones Library was originally built to look like a residence, with its robust stone facade and distinctive gambrel roofline. The design features a comprehensive renovation of the existing historic building and a three-story addition to the rear. The expanded library will meet contemporary needs and address accessibility issues while introducing upgrades to security, technology and building systems.

“This project lies at the heart of what our firm does best—historic preservation and library design. We’re honored to restore this 1928 town treasure to its original character while thoughtfully integrating the modern spaces and technologies needed for the Amherst community to thrive and continue to enjoy their library for years to come.”

- Principal-in-Charge Ellen Anselone, AIA, LEED AP

Sustainability was a main driver of the project, and once complete, Jones Library will be one of the most climate-friendly buildings in Amherst, decreasing the library's energy use by 65%. This involved examining energy and operational carbon use as well as the embodied carbon of the building’s materials and construction. To this end, detailed energy modeling was conducted and a full life-cycle assessment was completed with Tally software.

Read more about the project here.