By Isabell Macrina
Hometown Weekly Staff
This past weekend Wellesley locals celebrated the reopening of the Hills Branch of the Wellesley Library. After four months of closed doors and behind-the-scenes work, the building was opened with a new coat of paint, fabric, and more.
“We tried to stay true to the historic nature of the building,” said Library Director Jamie Jurgensen when showing the redesigned interior. The bookcases and tables were all original and had been refinished, and the chairs tie into the blues of the carpet and the cream of the walls. It is a beautiful contrast of dark and light while still feeling at home.
The library commissioned local artist Jason Sawtelle of BlackBeak Studios to paint a new mural for the children’s room. Rather than go for the traditional painted sky scene, he collaborated with Jamie and the interior designer to lean into the muted tones of the library and created a woodland scene, two trees growing together into the archway over the room. There he added a subtle warmth to the image and featured animals around in family and cozy settings. He pointed out the blue jay flying back to his nest with food, the family of squirrels on top of the bookcase, and the geese flying in the background which are inspired from the ones on the weathervane on the building.
There was activities to do to celebrate the opening. After entering a raffle for a chance to win library swag and eating sugar cookies, patrons had a chance to learn how to make an origami rabbit from the experts at Origamido. The local business also made décor for the library, a metal origami statue of tulips, but for this demonstration they stuck to paper and everyone created adorable, colorful bunnies.
In contrast to the grandness of the main library, the Hills branch provides a much cozier environment leaning into the old-school nature of the building. Don’t let the small building pass you by, it is a hidden gem finally jumping into the light again.
