Eindhoven Library is in discussions with the municipality and the owner of the Witte Dame about expanding into the iconic building. Library director Albert Kivits describes it as a unique opportunity for the city to create a facility that truly reflects its character.
In response to council questions from the VVD, the municipality confirmed that talks are ongoing with the building’s owner regarding the expansion. “The Witte Dame remains the top choice for housing a modern library with social spaces and meeting areas,” said the council.
The building is considered the prime candidate to host the ‘modern city library’ as the Design Academy Eindhoven, which currently occupies part of the space, is set to move to the Kanaal Zone in 2028.
Supplement
According to Kivits, the municipality must take decisive action to ensure the library’s expansion into the Witte Dame becomes a reality, with additional support needed from local authorities.
‘Research shows that financially, the Witte Dame is the best choice,’ says Kivits. ‘The area around the property is entering a new phase, with a lot of housing development that is going to take place and the Gender coming above ground. The expanded library fits in well with that. The current owner is sympathetic to us and is asking a fraction of the rent they could charge.’
For the plans around the new library concept, the college has already structurally reserved half a million euros per year and an incidental investment of up to 2 million euros has also been set. ‘ But to be able to implement the expansion of the modern city library in the Witte Dame, extra money is needed,’ says Kivits.
Gap in supply
‘It is questionable whether the municipality sees fit to do that, but it is now or never. The moment another party moves into the premises, there will also be another 10-year lease attached to that.’
Mien and Mohamed
And then Eindhoven Library will have to expand elsewhere, while the current location could fill a gap in the facilities on offer in Eindhoven. ‘If you look at Tilburg, Den Bosch, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, they all have a spacious downtown library. Now when a minister comes to Brabant for a talk or debate, they go to the LocHal in Tilburg.’
‘That is where both Mien and Mohammed come, there is a certain atmosphere,’ says Kivits. ‘Lectures can be organised, artists can exhibit there. We want to be able to offer that here too, and we can, by expanding on the ground floor of the White Lady. But when we get a request to facilitate a lecture or provide an exhibition space, we have to sell no because we simply don’t have the space for it.’
In the neighbourhood
Although the location for the expansion of the city library is still unclear, the college did clarify the neighbourhood libraries, known as ‘bibliotopes’, in the rest of the city. In Tongelre and Woensel-Noord, the bilbiotopes are already open at Bloemfonteinstraat and Tarwelaan respectively, although the latter will later move to Stadshart Woensel.
In Woensel-Zuid, there will be a library in the community centre De Werf and in Stratum, a location on Kardinaal de Jongweg. In Gestel, the neighbourhood library will temporarily move to the Genderdal community centre and that location will move to Kastelenplein. A location is still being sought for a neighbourhood library in Strijp.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Chaitali Sengupta
