Kaukauna Library

Challenge

The Kaukauna Public Library, housed in its original 11,000-square-foot building, was running out of space and was no longer meeting the residents’ needs. Expansion at the existing site was cost-prohibitive, so the City of Kaukauna sought an alternative approach to renovate a vacant paper mill into a 21st-century library. 

While the mill offered sufficient space to meet the library’s needs, renovating the mill’s structure posed unique challenges, including 3-foot-thick stone walls and flooring reinforced with steel plates to support the former papermaking equipment. Architects were challenged to retain the historical context of the building while accommodating current technology and other library program requirements.

Solution

SEH partnered with the City of Kaukauna to conduct a study to assess current space requirements and provide recommendations for expansion. The study concluded that an $8 million expansion of the existing building and modifications to the parking areas and on-site traffic flow was necessary.  

The City, SEH, and a local developer specializing in renovating historic buildings collaborated to transform this landmark paper mill into a shared space spanning 88,000 sq. ft. The City and Developer entered an innovative public/private partnership (P3) which enabled the City to alleviate the financial burden of expanding the library. Adopting the P3 approach reduced the library project's cost from $8 million to approximately $1.2 million, spreading out the payments gradually throughout the lease agreement with the developer, ensuring a more feasible financial arrangement for the City.    

As part of this revitalization, an interactive learning garden was also constructed, highlighting engaging displays to foster imagination and shed light on the historical story of the garden and library with an outdoor reading space. The area's flexible layout easily accommodates hands-on activities for all ages, including storytelling sessions, workshops for creative writing, immersive watercolor painting sessions, and intimate concerts hosted in the amphitheater. 

Since completion, library attendance and participation in library programs have dramatically increased, while taxpayers have benefited from the unique building ownership agreement.