The Moniteau County Library has chosen an architect to design its new home.
Following an architect showcase March 21 at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place, the library's board of trustees narrowed its search from three architecture firms to one during a special open-session meeting March 22. The board voted to move forward with Sapp Design Architects, of Springfield and Kansas City, who will be responsible for designing a new facility. The current facility, an unreinforced masonry building constructed around 1864 and remodeled between 1996-98, is running out of space and cannot be expanded due to structural concerns. As a result, the library is looking to move to a new facility to be built on a vacant lot.
Architect showcase
Three Sapp Design Architects employees joined representatives from two other firms -- Simon Oswald Architects (SOA; in partnership with Bond Architects) and Porter, Berendzen & Associates (PBA) -- in presenting their experience, ideas and design process at the architect showcase. While all three firms had prior experience in designing libraries, they differed in their amount of experience and offered different perspectives at the event.
Moniteau County Library Board of Trustees President Mike Staton opened the event by discussing the need for a new facility. He said the library initially wanted to expand its current facility into a neighboring building housing a barbershop, but a May 2022 structural evaluation found the library building would be unable to withstand the work.
Following the evaluation, the trustees started looking at building a new facility elsewhere -- leading the library to purchasing a lot at 209 S. Oak St., after two dilapidated homes on the property were demolished by the previous owner. The location is centrally-located on a primary street, and is close to the elementary/middle school campus, making it an ideal location for a new library. Staton said the purchase came to secure an ideal location for the library's future home.
"There's not just a ton of options, so when that place came available, we felt it was ideal," he said. "It was right here on Oak Street, (close to) the kids, the middle school and elementary school ... right directly behind it, (children) can walk across there. We just didn't feel like we could ever find a better location than that, so we have purchased it and the library does own the property over there."
Sapp Design Architects presented on their design process and expertise in designing libraries, in addition to trends found at many libraries. Library Director Connie Beauchamp previously worked with Sapp Design Architects in her previous role as library director at the Morgan County Library, which built a 12,000-square-foot facility in 2005 in Versailles.
Sapp's library expertise extends far beyond the Morgan County Library facility. Sapp Design Architects specializes in libraries, designing more than 70 libraries in its history -- with more than 45 designed in just the past five years. Michael Sapp, founding principal of the firm, said they've designed libraries ranging from 3,000 to more than 110,000 square feet. The firm got its start with libraries in 2000 by transforming a lumber yard warehouse into Springfield Public Libraries' The Library Center branch, a project that received national attention.
Sapp said the two other representatives present at the showcase -- Neill Scheiter, project architect, and Kathe Kristek, interior designer -- would directly work on the Moniteau County Library project. Brad McKenzie, not present at the meeting, would also work on the project as a project manager. The four have 108 years of combined experience.
"This is what they do on a consistent basis," he said. "They don't once-in-a-while work on a library while they're working on other types of projects. We live and breathe libraries, and have for about 25 years. It's a big part of our annual business."
Scheiter said community involvement is a big part of Sapp's design process, as they look at problems being "just as unique as the community itself." He said the firm looks to connect the facility with its community, such as incorporating unique facets of a community -- like its history -- into the facility's design. The design process, he said, serves as a reflection of a community's values and priorities.
"We look at design as ... an opportunity for collaboration and communication with our clients and with the community," Scheiter said. "It's not just about the clients themselves, but also thinking about the taxpayers as stakeholders within this project."
Much like the SOA/Bond partnership that presented earlier in the event, the Sapp representatives discussed a variety of library design trends -- light, open spaces with optimal sightlines for library staff and flexibility for using the space for other purposes. A modern use for a library, they mentioned, is to provide a space for people to work and connect with others -- especially with more people working from home after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I think we can summarize libraries today into three things, and it's flexibility, flexibility and flexibility," Sapp said. "That's the key, going to be the key to the success of your library. Whatever you build, it better be flexible, because our world is evolving every single day."
Nick Borgmeyer, a principal and architect for SOA, and Susan Pruchnicki, a principal-in-charge of Bond Architects, presented first at the event. Pruchnicki said her St. Louis firm has an extensive history in designing libraries around the St. Louis metropolitan area, with experience in new construction, remodels and converting other types of facilities into libraries. Borgmeyer said SOA would act as the primary architect on the project, with Bond Architects providing specialized input for the library components, if the library chose to move forward with the group.
The second group to present was PBA, of Ashland, who kept their presentation short. Jon Berendzen, vice president of PBA, said the firm mostly has experience with designing educational facilities, but it designed the Southern Boone County Public Library in Ashland around a decade ago. The pre-engineered metal building, which simplifies construction and is cheaper compared to other building types, has a spruced-up brick facade. The facility cost $10 million to construct. Berendzen said the firm is collaborating with AM Designs, of Columbia, for interior design of a remodel to the Boonslick Regional Library in Boonville.
Board action
After hearing from the three firms, the Moniteau County Library Board of Trustees convened March 22 in a special open-session meeting to pick a firm to move forward with.
The options were quickly narrowed to the SOA/Bond partnership and Sapp Design Architects due to PBA's limited library experience. Sapp eventually became the front-runner with its specialization in libraries, knowledge of trends and realization libraries have limited budgets and resources. Beauchamp also vouched for Sapp Design Architects, saying they were good to work with on the Morgan County Library project. The board unanimously decided to move forward with Sapp Design Architects.
The Moniteau County Library Board of Trustees will next meet for their regular monthly meeting at 10 a.m. April 19 at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place, 501 S. Oak St.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Moniteau County Library Board of Trustees President Mike Staton introduces the need for a new library March 21 at the library's Architect Showcase in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place. Representatives from three architecture firms — Simon Oswald Architects; Porter, Berendzen & Associates, and Sapp Design Architects — discussed their experience in designing libraries, along with their design process and trends affecting libraries.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Susan Pruchnicki, left, of Bond Architects, and Nick Borgmeyer, of Simon Oswald Architects, discuss the design process and services they would offer the Moniteau County Library on March 21 during the library's architect showcase in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Susan Pruchnicki, of Bond Architects, discusses utilizing a new library space in phases, along with community involvement opportunities, March 21 at the library's architect showcase in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place. If selected, Bond Architects would partner with Simon Oswald Architects to offer library-specific input on the project.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — California native Nick Borgmeyer, of Simon Oswald Architects, discusses the firm's experience March 21 at an architect showcase held in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Jacob Berendzen, left, and Jon Berendzen, of Porter, Berendzen & Associates, answer questions from the crowd March 21 at the library architect showcase in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Jacob Berendzen, left, and Jon Berendzen, of Porter, Berendzen & Associates, answer questions from the crowd March 21 at the library architect showcase in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Neill Scheiter, a project architect with Sapp Design Architects, explains a concept March 21 at the library architect showcase in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place. The library's Board of Trustees decided March 22 to move forward with Sapp Design Architects designing the new library facility.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Neill Scheiter, from left, Kathe Kristek and Michael Sapp, all from Sapp Design Architects, present March 21 at the library's architect showcase in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place. The library's Board of Trustees decided March 22 to move forward with Sapp Design Architects on designing the library's new facility. Sapp, a founding principal of Sapp Design Architects, explained his firm has designed more than 70 libraries — including more than 45 in the past five years. He added that Scheiter, a project architect, and Kristek, an interior designer, would directly work on the Moniteau County Library facility.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Michael Sapp, principal of Sapp Design Architects, points in the direction of the empty lot at 209 S. Oak St., that will eventually house the library's new facility as he discusses another library's unique ribbon cutting event March 21 during the library's architect showcase in Heyssel Hall of the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place. Sapp explained another community formed a human chain to pass books from the old facility to the new one, one at a time, like a bucket brigade.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Kathe Kristek, left, and Michael Sapp, center, both of Sapp Design Architects, listen to Jon Berendzen, of Porter, Berendzen & Associates, speak March 21 before the Moniteau County Library's architect showcase in Heyssel Hall at the Moniteau County Library at Wood Place.