Landscape architects selected for library park
By Canton Citizen
The Canton Public Library’s Next Chapter renovation project met yet another milestone with the selection of the landscape architecture firm of Warner Larson to design a new park in the front of the library, facing Washington Street. The park is Chapter 2 of the overall project.
Warner Larson is an award-winning landscape architectural firm founded in 1978. The firm’s collaborative and innovative approach, as well as its strong community focus, are at the heart of its core practice in K-12 schools, parks/playgrounds, athletic facilities, multi-family housing and civic spaces.
Most notably, their creative landscape design at Stoughton High School in 2021 is a prime example of their skills, with students, teachers, and the public delighted with the result. Canton Library Director Andrea Capone urges Canton residents to take a look at Stoughton High School to see firsthand how this public space has been beautified and made more useful to residents.
The Canton Public Library is already a central meeting space for the community, with 200,000 people visiting the library in FY2024. Since the COVID-19 pandemic pushed library services outside, there has been an explosion of use of the library grounds. In FY2023, more than 3,200 people attended outdoor programs such as Storytime, Story Walks, summer reading celebrations, teen programs, book sales, and chess programs.
The Library Park planning process began in November 2021 with a grant from the Canton Community Preservation Committee (CCPC) for a design and feasibility study on the use of green space on the library’s 2.4 acres. In 2024, the CCPC voted to authorize $452,500, which was approved at the May 2024 Town Meeting. Canton citizens and businesses have purchased over 300 bricks for the Library Park.
Groundbreaking for the park is expected to commence in the spring/summer of 2025 and be completed by fall 2025. The first phase of the park project will focus on the front lawn facing Washington Street. By adding lighting, comfortable seating, shade structures, wayfinding signage, electrical access, a patio, and native plantings, the lawn will become a new park for the public to enjoy and for the library to use for outdoor programming. Residents of all ages will be able to connect with library programs, friends and neighbors in a relaxed and inviting outdoor setting close to downtown businesses.
The Next Chapter project has four chapters, the first of which is the roof and HVAC work, now nearly complete. Chapter 2 is the Library Park, and Chapter 3 will be the restoration of the historic part of the library as well as a redesign of the interior. Chapter 4 will be a Children’s Park on the rear library lawn.
For more information on The Next Chapter project or to make a donation, go to library.canton.ma.us/582/The-Next-Chapter.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=131381
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Apr 3 2025. Filed under Featured story.
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