Bradley Beach Public Library

The Classical Revival Bradley Beach Public Library opened in 1927 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mills + Schnoering Architects was engaged to study accessibility and fire safety issues and provide alternatives to address them. The Borough of Bradley Beach opted to move forward with an addition to the building to accommodate the accessibility and space needs identified in the study phase.

The design consists of a small two-story glass hyphen at the rear elevation, with an entrance at grade protected by a projecting canopy. The addition provides a welcoming, accessible entrance and accessible route to both floors of the existing library through a new elevator as well as a new code-compliant egress stair. The addition also features an entrance lobby, accessible toilet room, and flexible library space. Work has been designed to be clearly distinguishable as new construction while harmonizing with the existing historic building through scale, location, color, and selection of building materials.