By Kate Snyder
In order to bring Salem’s 50-year-old public library into modern compliance and improve the building’s accessibility, the design team behind the project had to get creative. The City of Salem partnered on the renovation with Howard S. Wright Construction and Hacker Architects, according to city records. The driving force behind the renovation was that the original building was constructed before scientists discovered that an earthquake off the coast could impact the Salem region. A seismic retrofit was determined to be the best upgrade for the building to increase safety during an earthquake. Improved accessibility and cost-saving upgrades to the building’s systems were also part of the project, which was ultimately completed last year.
Located at 585 Liberty St SE, the 96,000 square foot Salem Public Library serves more than 165,000…
