STONINGTON HISTORICAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY BLNG.
Location: Stonington, Connecticut
Architect & Designer: George Ranalli
Project Architect: John Butterworth
Project Team: Nathaniel Worden, Aaron MacDonald, Donald Hearn,
Todd Stodolski
This project is a 3400 sq. ft. addition to the existing Captain Palmer Mansion in Stonington, Connecticut. The original building, a National Register Historic Landmark, is an impressive period building. The new addition is to house an archive of books, letters, papers, art works, and objects from the collection of the Palmer estate. Additional material from the Town of Stonington is also to be incorporated as part of the archive collection.
The new building is to make a small courtyard with the Palmer Mansion and the Icehouse. The new structure forms the west and north sides of the courtyard with the two existing buildings on the south and east. The new building is entered from a path leading to landscape, stairs and parking. Through the court the front entry leads to a large hall. The archive is arrayed back from here with a hall opening on to the court. At the end of this sequence is the round reading room and seminar room. Additional archive space is off to the east.
Each space is lit by a series of windows and roof monitors. These elements help to define the space as well as admit a special quality of light. Rooms are designed by their use as well as the experience of the space. Materials are selected for their ability to produce a desirable atmosphere for each room. In the archive, the storage elements are designed as combinations of glass and wood cabinets, while the middle element is flat files, storage bins, and display cases.
The new building sits on a stone base on top of which is a wood wall. The openings in the wall are designed to be a combination of window and door. The roof and all decorative elements are designed in copper. The new building forms a strong spatial relationship with the existing buildings to form a new complex. This building is also designed to be an autonomous building with its own identity. The result is a unique blending of the old and new to make a cohesive and distinctive complex.
