Plans for former library good news for downtown Florence

In a recent interview, Florence attorney Ben Zeigler described the former Florence County Library as an “architectural gem.” Moreover, he recalled the library as the place where he and his partners in LIBRIS Redevelopment LLC learned to love reading while growing up.
Many other local residents remember the library just as fondly, and they will be happy to know that Zeigler and business partners John Chase and Randy Key plan to buy the library and renovate it as professional commercial space.
The private group, pursuing a for-profit venture, aims to renovate the library back to its original, 1925 appearance, as well. That would include the demolition of the 1970s addition to the back of the library, which faces South Irby Street. Zeigler said that wing of the library doesn’t fit with the “neoclassical” architecture of the rest of the building.
Zeigler acknowledges the risk in the project. The company would be taking the title to a building subject to historical preservation restrictions and seeking a combination of tax credits for financing.
We hope their gamble pays off in restoring the library’s former glory.
Many of Florence’s historical buildings have been lost, but we’ve seen more people stepping up lately to preserve the places we have held so dear. The library efforts are the most recent example; another is Jay Ham, who has renovated the Ateyeh House along West Evans Street into office suites.
Such development also has another benefit: It’s bringing the private sector into downtown Florence, which could really jump-start the downtown revitalization process.
Florence County Council also deserves recognition for giving LIBRIS Redevelopment a shot at reviving the old Florence County Library. County officials have taken their time in acting — and, considering the building’s structural issues, we had hoped to see something sooner — but we understand the need to ensure the county is taking the best action for the building’s future.
The company approached the county several years ago, and the county tried to sell the library last year, but received no viable proposals, Zeigler said.
“For about three to four years, we’ve been concerned about what’s going to happen to” the former library, Zeigler said in a phone interview Thursday.
He’s concerned about the deterioration of the building, which suffers from a leaky membrane roof. Current and former county elections officials have expressed the same sentiment; the elections commission meets at the building, and the county’s voting machines are stored there.
After an executive session Thursday, council introduced an ordinance by title only to give LIBRIS Redevelopment a chance to buy the land for its appraised value minus the cost of remediation such as asbestos removal, County Adminstrator Richard Starks said.
The company, however, would have to pay at least $50,000 for the building even after any such costs are subtracted, he said. The ordinance must pass two more readings before going into effect.
LIBRIS Redevelopment would have to pay for space to store the county’s voting machines, which are stored in the 1970s wing, if the project begins before a new county elections office is built, he said.
We’ve also voiced support of the county’s plans to build a new voter registration and elections building; the library renovation just gives our local leaders another incentive to push that project along. In addition to bringing voter registration and elections operations into one building near Third Loop Road and South Irby Street, it will offer a more stable environment for our crucial voting equipment.
By also preserving a historical building and bringing the potential of more activity downtown, it’s quite a hat trick for Florence.