For nearly 90 years, Manchester’s Mary Cheney Library has served the residents of Manchester; now it’s closing its doors for good.
However, Manchester won't be left without a library on the populated Main Street. The newly renamed, ‘Manchester Public Library’, is being constructed mere seconds away from the old one.
The new library will be the first net zero energy public library in Connecticut, according to Christopher Till, who is the town facilities manager.
"I think Manchester has a lot to be proud of, and this is a demonstration not only to the Manchester community, but all of Connecticut," Till said.
The library will span 75,000-square-feet and include advanced solar arrays, battery storage, and geothermal heating and cooling operations. The goal is to produce carbon-friendly energy without straining the grid.
However, Till says having a green library was not originally the aim of the project.
"The focus was on really building a library that met all of the community needs for the facility, our existing library is approaching a 100-years old," Till said.
In recent years, Manchester has been known for its environmental sustainability, having completed three net zero energy elementary school renovations, which gained the town many awards.
"I get calls fairly regularly regarding our school projects in the past and now regarding the library project and how we do these projects and be able to afford them and fund them," Till said.
The Manchester Public Library will feature a makerspace, private study rooms, an audio-visual studio, and many other services.
Jenn Bartlett, head of reference and adult services at the library, emphasized the importance of having updated services for residents, in addition to the library’s green capacity.
“In our current space, we have no study rooms, no quiet spaces, we have no public meeting rooms, parking is an issue as well, our restroom is a one stall situation for adults… all of these things will be remedied in the new building,” Bartlett said.
Many of those issues were frequently brought up to the library’s staff by patrons, according to Jessica Sweetland, head of circulation and cataloging.
“Our current building was built in 1937, and it’s lovely and we love it, but it’s very limiting because a library in 1937 is very different than what a library in 2026 is,” Sweetland said.
When Connecticut Public asked why the library was being renamed, Steve Stephanou, Manchester’s town manager, said the older Mary Cheney building is staying put.
“Since the Mary Cheney will still exist, it was decided to keep that name with that building,” Stephanou said.
However, the town has not yet determined how the building will be used. "It will be repurposed for another use to be determined," according to Till.
Stephanou says the process for the new library didn’t happen quickly, and it wasn’t just the work of one team of elected officials.
“Projects of this magnitude do not happen overnight or in a vacuum," Stephanou said. " This new library is the direct result of hundreds of Manchester residents who refused to give up on a grand vision for our town."
“This achievement belongs to the generations of elected officials who advocated for funding and resources, the members of our Library Board past and present, and the visionary volunteers of the 21st Century Library Task Force who meticulously planned for our community's future needs,” Stephanou said.
The new library project had a budget of $50 million of which $49.5 million was spent, according to Till.
Funding for the new library came from a number of sources, including town bonding, Eversource, a mix of state and federal grants along with money from Green Bank Energy Storage Solutions.
“The upcoming opening of our new library is not just a milestone for Manchester; it is the culmination of a decades-long journey fueled by the passion, dedication, and persistence of our community,” Stephanou said.
Till said the Manchester Public Library will have a soft opening in Mid to late August and a grand opening after Labor Day.
