The Fields Corner branch of the Boston Public Library will close on Fri., Oct. 25, when work will begin to demolish the existing building at the corner of Dorchester Avenue and Park Street and replace it with a $30.9 million project that is expected to be completed in 2026. To note the onset of the transition, the branch will host a Grand Closing Party on Sat., Oct. 19, from noon to 2 p.m.

“The staff will relocate, and they will know where by the time we close. Then we will have a beautiful new building in two years,” said Priscilla Foley, a BPL official who briefed the Friends of the Fields Corner library last week.

After the closing, there will be a two-week period where assets from the existing library will be removed and the general contractor – which has not yet been chosen – will prepare the site for demolition.

Last week, the BPL trustees approved a $57,716 contract with Meyer, Inc. of Connecticut to move and store the library collection during construction. In that regard, other branches have been “shopping” in Fields Corner for books that won’t be kept and furniture that won’t be re-purposed.

Looking down Park Street toward Adams Street.

The demolition of the old branch could come as soon as the first week in November. “It takes a lot less time to take a building down that put one up,” said Foley. “It’s really one of those things where you’ll go by one day and it’s there, and then the next day it’s gone.”

Before that, the contractor will likely erect a fence around the site and on parts of the sidewalk and roadway to make the demolition operation safe and to delineate the construction site. A construction trailer will have to be located somewhere on site as well. Many construction management issues like these will be fine-tuned when the general contractor is actually on the job.

The final design shows a two-story building that will feature two floors of programming space to include a community room and events room.

The best estimate for the length of construction is around two years. Foley said the Adams Street library in 2019 and the Roslindale branch in 2021 were completed within 18 to 24 months, while larger projects like the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury branches took significantly longer than 24 months.

During the time the Fields Corner branch is closed, patrons will be encouraged to use the Adams Street and Codman Square branches. Meanwhile, Librarian Kim McCleary and a staff member will be holding “office hours” at Chill on Park, 142 Park St., in Fields Corner each Tuesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. They will offer tech help, laptop access, limited printing, and take book requests during those times. Chill on Park has donated the space.

There will also be library pop-ups planned during construction for book browsing, checkouts, pre-school storytimes, and other activities sponsored by local non-profits and in collaboration with the soon-to-open Just Bookish bookstore on Dorchester Avenue.

Yoga and computer classes that have been a staple at the library will be moved to nearby branches, and the BPL is working with AgeStrong to provide transportation for senior citizens.

A mobile citywide children’s librarian is scheduled to be hired in the coming months and that individual’s first task will be to provide programming in Fields Corner one time per week, while a permanent children’s librarian will be sought next year.

Rachel Kemper, president of the Friends of the Fields Corner Library, hopes for a big turnout for the Oct. 19 event.
“It will be a thank you to the building and the staff for all these years here,” she said. “This has been a very special and important place for our community for a long time.”