Noble Branch Renovation Project

Noble Neighborhood Branch Grand Opening is June 2

Please join us on Sunday, June 2, at 2 p.m. for the grand reopening of our Noble Neighborhood branch, and the launch of our Summer Reading program for 2024!

This highly anticipated expansion of our beloved branch, on time and on budget, has doubled the building’s size, making room for new, larger spaces for children and teens, 4 meeting rooms for the public, a computer lab, a maker space, an outdoor area for programs and relaxing, and, of course, books and other materials.

The June 2 celebration will include music, refreshments, children’s activities, tours, and a brief ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome the public back. All are welcome to this free community event!

Noble Neighborhood Library expansion is on track

December 1, 2023 — The renovation and expansion of Heights Libraries’ Noble Neighborhood branch is on time and on budget. That’s according to Julie Criscone, the Library’s owner’s representative for the Noble construction project. Criscone presented a progress report at the November 6 Board of Trustees committee meeting highlighting the work completed as of early November, and the tasks slated for the rest of the month. Read more.

Get a bird’s-eye, 360 view of the Noble branch construction site!

July 20, 2023–We’ve created a gallery of the current construction, including 360 panoramas!

Heights Libraries’ Noble Neighborhood branch closes Sunday, April 16

April 12, 2023--Heights Libraries’ Noble Neighborhood branch closed to the public on Sunday, April 16, for a year-long renovation and expansion.
However, residents of the Noble Neighborhood still have access to Library programs and services in the multiple locations.

Starting May 1, the BNH Building at 2940 Noble Road will provide limited services Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Customers will have access to public computers, a copier/fax machine, circulation and reference services, a small collection of materials for check-out, and holds pick-up. The site also features a small space for adult programs. The phone number for the Noble branch will remain the same for this new location, (216) 291-5665.

The Disciples Christian Church (DCC) at 2663 Mayfield has generously offered space for regularly scheduled youth programs for the duration of the branch renovation. Those programs can be found on our website calendar.

Heights Libraries’ Noble Neighborhood branch expansion begins in May

February 6, 2023–Heights Libraries will soon be significantly expanding its Noble Neighborhood branch. The planned renovation will double the size of the heavily used building, allowing the Library to expand and broaden the services it provides to residents of the Noble Neighborhood and surrounding communities in the northeastern section of Cleveland Heights.

The branch will be closed during the renovation, beginning Sunday, April 16. The renovation is expected to last roughly a year, and a groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for May 2023.

The expansion design, created by architectural design company Bostwick Design Partnership and landscape design company McKnight & Sergeant, was approved by the Cleveland Heights Planning Commission, Board of Architectural Review, and Board of Zoning Appeals on January 19, 2023.

The design is the result of input from both Library staff and community members, gathered at six community events over the course of roughly a year, from March 2021 through October 2022.

Limited services will still be provided in the neighborhood during the closure at two satellite locations: a small space at the BNH Building at 2940 Noble Road will contain public computers, holds shelves, circulation and reference services, and a small collection of items to check out; and after school programs will be offered at Disciples Christian Church, 3663 Mayfield Rd in Cleveland Heights on a regular basis, beginning in April. Programs are listed at heightslibrary.org and in the Check Us Out program guide.

More information is provided below:

Why is Heights Libraries expanding the Noble branch?
Since its 2011 renovation, the needs of the Noble Neighborhood community have continued to grow. Services have expanded to meet the needs of the significant refugee population living in the area, and more and more teens and children spend time at the branch during after school hours. And computers in the adult, teen, and children’s areas are in constant use. Also, the building does not have a meeting room available to the public to use.

What will the expansion do?
The expansion will roughly double the size of the building, allowing for larger, and better separated areas for children, teens, and adults. Outdoor spaces with seating will be added, and public meeting rooms will be added as well. The historic Walker & Weeks original building will be left intact.

When will the expansion start, and how long will it last?
We hope to break ground in May 2023, and finish construction in approximately one year, May 2024.

Will the Noble Branch be closed during the expansion?
Yes. The Noble Neighborhood branch will be closed during the renovation. The last day the branch will be open in 2023 will be Saturday, April 15. Closure is scheduled for Sunday, April 16.

Will there be temporary spaces to visit during construction?
Yes! The Library will have a temporary satellite location in the Noble neighborhood, at the BNH Building at 2940 Noble Road. Beginning the first week of May, this location will be open limited hours, and will contain public computers, holds shelves, circulation and reference services, and a small collection of materials to check out.

Additionally, youth programs will be offered at the Disciples Christian Church, 3663 Mayfield Rd in Cleveland Heights on a regular basis, beginning in April. Programs are listed at heightslibrary.org and in the Check Us Out program guide.

How far are the satellite locations from the Noble Branch?
The BNH building (2940 Noble Rd) is a roughly 10-minute walk or 2-minute drive from the Noble Branch, about 0.3 miles. The Disciples of Christ Church (3663 Mayfield Rd) is a roughly 18-minute walk or 3 minute drive. Both locations are close to public transit stops on Mayfield Rd.

What will happen to the Noble branch staff during the expansion?
All Noble Neighborhood branch staff will remain employed by Heights Libraries, and those not working at satellite locations will work at other branches.

New Architectual Images for Noble Renovation

January 11, 2023 – Architectural design company Bostwick Design Partnership and landscape design company McKnight & Sergeant recently shared new design drawings for the Noble branch expansion. These updated images reflect the goals of the project design:

• Honor the historic nature of the current Walker & Weeks building and the surrounding Noble neighborhood
• Reflect the feedback gathered from community members at community meetings and online
• Create a welcoming, accessible hub for the diverse Noble neighborhood
• Respect the connection between nature and the building’s indoor environment by using sustainable design principles
• Provide flexible program spaces to meet the needs of the community, now and in years to come
• Provide an outdoor space that includes areas for programming and gardening

Click each image below  to view at a larger size.

Library chooses CMAR for Noble branch renovation

After a competitive RFP (request for proposal) process, Heights Libraries has hired the Independence Construction-DeGeronimo Companies as the construction manager at risk (CMAR) for the Noble Neighborhood branch renovation project. The decision was announced at the library’s Oct. 17 board of trustees meeting. Read more.

Noble Branch Design Architects Reveal Updated Design Plans

Heights Libraries once again invites the Noble community to see what’s in store for the expansion of the Noble Branch. Architectural design company Bostwick Design Partnership and landscape design company McKnight & Sergeant  have new designs to share, based on feedback and suggestions from the community at past meetings.

Please join us Tuesday, October 4, 7-8:00 p.m. at the Noble Branch, 2800 Noble Road.

Noble Branch Holding Community Engagement Event

On Tuesday, June 28, 6-7:30 p.m., Heights Libraries will be soliciting feedback from the Noble community about the future expansion of the Noble Neighborhood branch, slated to start in 2023. Free pizza and child care provided will be provided. Space is limited, registration required.

One year after purchase, Library to begin demolition of Noble Presbyterian Church

Heights Libraries purchased the Noble Presbyterian Church and surrounding property one year ago, in March 2021. The purchase will enable us to expand the Noble building and improve library services to Noble residents by adding public meeting rooms, a larger computer lab, and other improvements.

To make room for these expansions, we will be tearing down the church. The demolition will begin sometime in the next week or two, and will last approximately four weeks. Read more here.

Library shares possible renovation ideas for Noble Branch

On Wednesday, September 8, Heights Libraries held an open house at its Noble Neighborhood Branch to present rough renovation ideas for the 84-year-old location. Rick Ortmeyer from Bostick Design Partnership, the firm hired by the Library to create preliminary designs, presented preliminary designs and answered questions.

See the presentation here. (PDF)

After the presentation, attendees were invited to examine and respond to 16 posters featuring a variety of possible indoor and outdoor design concepts, such as outdoor event and reading spaces, larger indoor workspaces with computers, more natural light, and reading nooks for teens and school age kids. Attendees were encouraged to put red stickers on ideas they didn’t like and green stickers on ideas they did like. They also were encouraged to write out more nuanced feedback on post-its.

Those who were unable to attend the open house still have time to examine the conceptual images and give feedback. The physical posters are at the Noble branch, 2800 Noble Road, and can be studied anytime the library is open.

Residents can also view the images and give feedback via an online survey, available here.

All public input will be examined and quantified, and will inform the next stage of the renovation. The Library expects to put out an RFP for the design project in early 2022.

The Noble Neighborhood Branch is ready for a change.

Originally built in 1937, the branch was renovated nearly a decade ago, in 2011. That renovation created a Teen room, a new children’s area with an Early Literacy Play Space, expanded space for a growing book collection, and outdoor space for our garden. while providing a more open, welcoming space for reading, working, and computer use.

Since then, the needs of the Noble Neighborhood community have continued to grow. Services have expanded to meet the needs of the significant refugee population living in the area, and more and more teens and children spend time at the branch during after school hours. And when we were open pre-COVID, the computers in the adult, teen, and children’s areas were in constant use.

We want to make sure we are meeting the needs of our community. That’s why we posted a public survey about Noble in January and February, to find out what kind of changes and improvements you, our residents, would like to see.

Now that we’ve processed those survey results, our next step is to meet with you, and talk about what you’d like to see in more detail. Would you like to see more meeting rooms, or small study rooms? How about more computers or a maker space? Do you find our Noble branch is accessible enough, or do we need to make it easier to access?

Noble Branch Renovation Open House Event

Wednesday, September 8, 7-8:30 p.m., 2800 Noble Road

We will be exhibiting several preliminary design concepts created by our Noble branch renovation architect, Bostwick Design Partnership, of what the future Noble branch building could look like. These designs were informed and inspired by a public survey, input from the community during our public Zoom meetings in March and April (see green box, below), and emails and phone calls we received from the community.

We will be taking your comments about what you like or don’t like about these preliminary designs, and will also give you an opportunity to talk with our architect.

Stop in and let us know what you think!

Heights Libraries purchases Noble Road Presbyterian Church

March 23, 2021 — The Heights Libraries Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that it has approved the Library’s purchase of the Noble Road Presbyterian Church building and surrounding 1.3 acres of property. The church is located next to the Noble Neighborhood branch of Heights Libraries at 2780 Kirkwood Road in Cleveland Heights.

The library board voted on the purchase on March 15 at its regular meeting, and the Noble Road Presbyterian Church board approved the sale at its own board meeting on Monday, March 22. Read more.