Braddock Carnegie Library Bookcases

A Historic Renovation

We were recruited to assist the Braddock Carnegie Library Association in renovating the reputable Braddock Carnegie Library. They wanted to keep the original bookcases in the renovated library as much as possible, which meant reconstructing, and potentially replicating, the existing units. The bookcases date all the way back to the library's initial opening in 1889.

We broke this project up into two parts: first floor and second floor. The first-floor bookcases were two-sided; we restructured those units and turned them into a one-sided row of cases. We were able to reuse all the parts of these cases to seamlessly reconfigure their setup.

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The succeeding part on the second floor was not as easy. A majority of the bookcases unfortunately had a lot of water damage and mold. Due to this, every bookcase had to be meticulously handled and cut down to save the face frame and crown of the cases, which were thankfully not damaged.

We built new structures from plywood and had it stained to match the existing bookcases, then attached the original face frames and crown onto the new shelving units. We added a removable back to these cabinets to allow access to the heat and air supply that was behind the units, as well as hidden access doors at the ends.

We restored around 50 individual units from throughout the library, managing to retain the original look and design of the bookcases. It was an incredible experience to work on this project to help preserve a piece of Pittsburgh history!