1917 Library Wing Ready for Official Reopening

Over the course of time since the explosion that shuttered normal, complete access to The Morristown & Morris Township for almost two years, those given the big basket of lemons in that event have made lemonade.

That, according to Library Board of Trustees President Nancy Bangiola, who touts the work of everyone involved in the repairs and upgrades that have come to the Willis Wing of the library,

This part of the library–the first part, built in 1917–has actually been reopened to the public since the end of March. In recognition of the two-year anniversary of the explosion on May 3, library officials had planned to hold off opening it until around then. But, as Library Director Maria Norton said, "most of it was ready, so we thought, 'why wait?'"

"It's fabulous," said Norton, who had become the interim director during the closure and ultimately accepted the position full time. "It still comes as a shock that we got it all done."

It could have been a lot worse.

"Two years ago, when this all happened, to know right off that no one was hurt, everyone was out of the building, we're still extra grateful," Bangiola said. "It was really a devastating event. We're just so fortunate no one was in the 1917 wing when the floor heaved up."

That heaving, that explosion, while it did not take anyone's life, took a lot of the library's material, including all of the books in the Friends of the Library store in the basement. 

While there are significantly fewer books for sale there, donations have continued over the past two years, and several thousand titles are available.

Library officials also used the time off to their advantage, repairing and adding several things that would have been difficult to do while open, such as regilding the large eagle that adorns the Willis Wing. "He is magnificent," Norton said.

Also added were modern luxuries including recessed lighting, floor outlets for computers and a soda machine in the small section of the library, the "Cafe," people can enjoy a drink while they read.

Though everyone is all smiles now, the mystery of just why the explosion occurred in the first place remains unsolved.

Traveller's Insurance continues the investigation, with no timeframe of a foreseeable conclusion. "They are being very thorough," Norton said. "They're looking at everything."

Some measures have already been taking since the explosion, .

"We still are going to push for the cause that we have not been told yet," said Mayor Tim Dougherty. "Hopefully one day we will discover the cause. ... again, we can only be grateful no one got killed.

Today, the mayor noted the library is "100 percent safe."

"It's a gem for Morristown, and I know so many are excited to use it," he said.

"We've all been very lucky," Bangiola said. "They really have made lemonade; it's more beautiful than it ever was. It's a space the whole town and township can be proud of, and really reflects the people that are in that building and run it every day. They take their jobs very seriously. We're just delighted for the whole community to have this great resource back in full."