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The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia recently announced that a $17.8 million renovation of its Fisher Fine Arts Library is scheduled to begin in spring 2025.

The "envelope" restoration is intended to restore the outside of the 133-year-old building to its original form. Its plan was unveiled by Anne Papageorge, senior vice president of Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services at the Facilities and Campus Planning committee meeting of the Penn Board of Trustees in mid-November.

Construction is anticipated to take place from April 2025 through November 2026 and will involve extensive scaffolding around the building, the Daily Pennsylvanian, a student run news source, reported Dec. 2.

The renovation will include the clearing of sandstone, window replacements, repairs to the roof and the installation of lightning and fall protection on the outside of the building. The library will remain open during construction, and renovation activities will continue during library hours.

At the trustee meeting, Daniel Vodzak — the principal architect on the project — admitted that the project will be a "noisy operation."

The Fisher Fine Arts Library is notably a quiet space on the Penn campus as occupants are asked not to hold loud conversations or take calls within the library space. Several signs are posted around study areas in the building reminding students of the policy.

"We will do our best to work with the occupants to minimize the disruption," Papageorge said at the meeting.

She added that the team had considered a "multi-summer strategy" in order to avoid noise disturbance during periods when students utilize the building, but ultimately decided against it.

"The challenge is that the three months we have [during summer] is insufficient for renovation," Papageorge explained. "We were concerned about maintaining the consistent quality of work."

The visible portions of the Fisher Fine Arts Library's surface will be significantly limited during the renovation. A construction fence similar to the one erected during the recent revamping of Penn's College Hall will be present during the work, according to Vodzak.

"It will be evident during probably the whole 20 months of the process that there is construction happening on the outside of the library," Colin McKelvie, Penn's director of design and construction, told the Daily Pennsylvanian.

He added that he did not yet know what campus closures, if any, would result from the construction.

Beautiful, Historic Structure

Since the building's completion in 1891, when it became known as Furness Library, it has undergone several series of renovations and expansions. At the recent Penn Board of Trustees meeting, Papageorge noted that previous building upgrades occurred in 1991, 2003, 2006, 2013 and 2015.

She added that it was "time to invest yet again" in the building.

According to Penn Libraries, the Fisher Fine Arts building is "regarded as one of the most important library buildings in the world." The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

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