The Seabord Building - one of downtown Norfolk's architectural gems - will now become part of the region's most innovative central library, an imaginative reworking of history in service of the future.
Norfolk plans to add a companion building to the Seaboard in what would be a $50 million project to replace Kirn Memorial Library, which will soon make way for the city's light rail project.
Such a huge and expensive undertaking would have taken decades to reach reality were it not for the man whose family owns this newspaper.
Frank Batten Sr., who built what is now called Landmark Media Enterprises, donated $20 million that will help build a library named for Col. Samuel L. Slover. The colonel founded Landmark Communications and raised Batten after his father died.
"Throughout my life and career," Batten said, "I have tried to honor my uncle and his devotion to the betterment of the communities that we serve, and his commitment to integrity, honesty and a sense of fair play. He would be glad to know that this state-of-the-art library will be named in his honor."
The city had planned to use the Seaboard Building as a temporary home for part of Kirn's collection while it continued to consider alternatives for a central library. The new plan, unveiled Tuesday, would provide a space bigger than Kirn's and sets a goal as the city begins securing the remaining money.
Mayor Paul Fraim said the new downtown library could open as soon as 2012, the second major project in the city's system in the past few years.
The $10.8 million Mary D. Pretlow Anchor Branch Library in Ocean View opened in March and has been more popular than officials expected. Along with the new Slover library, they provide further proof that in the 21st century, there remains plenty of room in Norfolk for libraries, and for reading.
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