Ventilation system delays opening of Lincoln library

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The state's $24 million Abraham Lincoln library, already months late in opening, will sit empty until at least next spring.

State officials said Monday the library won't open until March 2004 in order to fix a flawed heating and cooling system.

The state expects to spend $1.5 million to install three large chilling units that can provide the accurate temperature and humidity needed to preserve priceless documents and artifacts.

"As much as I would like to open that building and operate it as a library, as much as the staff would like to be over there, we are not about to put our collections at risk in order to satisfy an itching on people's parts to get going," said Maynard Crossland, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which oversees the presidential library and museum.

Officials say the delay is caused by a design flaw by project architect HOK, a world-renowned firm. The state will pay to fix the problem but will seek reimbursement from the company, officials said.

"They've acknowledged that there was an error on their part," said Tony Rossi, executive director of the Capital Development Board, the agency that oversees state construction projects.

HOK spokesman Mike Plotnick would not comment Monday afternoon, referring calls to state officials overseeing the project.

The delay is the latest of several stumbles for the library and a Lincoln museum that, together, are supposed to cost $115 million.

State and federal officials butted heads for years over funding, finally agreeing to spend $50 million in federal money. The library still has no director after an extensive search mired in political conflict.

Officials threw a $287,000 "ceremonial opening" with politicians and celebrities last November, with hopes of the library really opening by Lincoln's birthday in February. But construction delays pushed that back.

Then they noticed in February that the building's heating and cooling system couldn't maintain the 65 degree temperature and 43 percent humidity in areas where delicate items will be kept.

"We just need to have consistency," said Crossland. "Any fluctuation in those we need to be able to control very precisely."

Officials say they considered other options but decided to take their time and make sure everything is ready before moving 12 million documents -- including the state's 47,000-item collection of Lincoln items -- from the Illinois State Historical Library to their new home.

Crossland said officials will decide soon whether to open the library for tours and place some administrative staff there until the repairs are completed.

The opening of the museum, slated for late 2004, will not be affected, he said.

"What's going to come out of this whole process is going to be something that the state can be proud of for many generations to come," Crossland said.