News & Construction Updates

Harrisburg library’s new welcome center to honor forgotten Civil War journalist
Harrisburg library’s new welcome center to honor forgotten Civil War journalist February 25, 2022 By Chris Mautner | cmautner@pennlive.com A local hero of the Civil War and civil rights activist will be honored as part of the $3.5 million renovation and expansion...

Library in Dauphin County celebrates major breakthrough in expansion project
Library in Dauphin County celebrates major breakthrough in expansion project February 3, 2022 DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A library expansion project in Harrisburg is underway and celebrated a major breakthrough on Thursday, Feb. 3. View the full story and video from...

Construction breaks walls connecting Harrisburg library to historic neighboring building
Construction breaks walls connecting Harrisburg library to historic neighboring building February 3, 2022 Construction crews have brought down the walls between the McCormick Riverfront Library and the adjoining Haldeman Haly House as part of the library’s $3.5...
Help Create a Place to Belong.
For more than 100 years, the McCormick Riverfront Library has been intentional in responding to community needs. Now more than ever, the community is calling upon its trusted institutions to provide safe and inclusive community spaces.
This project marks an extraordinary moment in Harrisburg’s history as we work collectively to expand The Library’s physical space with vision and purpose and extend its positive impact throughout the community.
The proposed transformation of the McCormick Riverfront Library and the adjacent Haldeman Haly House to public, institutional, and educational use will be one of the most significant historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects to occur in Harrisburg in more than 25 years.
It’s a vision designed for our people, stories, and neighborhoods.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of the story.

Project Highlights
FIRST
Reimagined children’s spaces
Children need a safe and dedicated space to learn and grow in downtown Harrisburg. That’s our vision. 75% of Harrisburg’s children lack access to pre-K activities. Responding to this and other needs identified by our neighbors, we will collaborate with community-based organizations to improve access and provide learning support that emphasizes science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and math (STREAM). The new space will offer a multi-purpose space for classroom and club visits, performances and other group activities.
Introducing the T. Morris Chester Welcome Center
Harrisburg has a storied history, and the T. Morris Chester Welcome Center will bring it to life! Honoring the legacy of T. Morris Chester—a groundbreaking African American Civil War correspondent, lawyer, and soldier—the new entrance and lobby will create a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible portal to the library. The city’s history is diverse, inspiring, and often overlooks figures who have made significant contributions. The center will serve as a collection point for historical writings, maps, tours, and events that more fully reflect our collective history.
Expanded community spaces
Relocating office space and meeting rooms to the Haldeman Haly House will allow significantly more space for other valued library functions: computer usage, reading, business services, and studying. The reconfiguration will also benefit the empathy driven services provided by the library through community partnerships with Dauphin County Human Services, Downtown Daily Bread, and others.
Augmented reality/virtual reality learning experiences for all ages
With significantly expanded facility space, we will now be able to embrace virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies and programs for users of all ages, complementing the high-tech learning hub forming downtown. VR allows library users to travel to completely simulated environments. AR allows users to view space in layers—using digital information from the real world to deepen exploration and overall learning experience.
A View from the Skies
Video produced by Mowery Construction