St.Gallen: Union office building to become a library
The canton and city of St.Gallen want to set up a joint library in the Union building on Blumenmarkt. The owner of the property is Helvetia Insurance.
According to a statement from the canton and city of St.Gallen, an architectural competition is to be held at the end of 2019, with the results available by mid-2021. In 2024, the voters of the canton and city of St.Gallen can vote on the project. Construction could begin in 2025, and the new library would then be ready for occupancy in 2028.
Clarifications of the preservation of historical monuments have shown that the centrally located commercial building Union, which was built in 1950/51, should be classified as worthy of protection, the statement continues. The scope of protection primarily includes the main building on Oberen Graben. The Union building is part of Helvetia's real estate assets and will remain in the company's possession.
Currently, the main post office is used provisionally as a library, but there are two other locations of the cantonal and city library in St.Gallen. This is impractical and causes additional operating expenses, according to the city and canton. The cantonal government and St.Gallen City Council therefore began project planning for a new library at the preferred Union/Blumenmarkt location back in 2016.
According to the press release, the new library will be designed as a place for education and encounters and will be based on the public library model. The facility will offer a stock of physical and digital media, and well-equipped rooms for reading and learning, for events and for working with media are also planned. (ah)
