AC casino money saves historic Carnegie Library

John Curran

Monday, Oct. 14, 2002 | 9:30 a.m.

ATLANTIC CITY -- After years of neglect, a piece of Andrew Carnegie's library legacy is getting a new lease on life, with casinos agreeing to ante up $5 million to save it.

The Carnegie Library, which was built in 1904 but hasn't been used as a library since 1985, will be converted for use beginning next fall as a satellite campus of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

The three-story Beaux Arts-style structure will be refurbished and get a 6,000-square-foot addition. Eventually, it will house classrooms for hospitality management, business and education technology students from the college, which is located about 12 miles away, in Pomona.

What makes the project unique is the benefactors.

Instead of pushing for the demolition of the building to make way for a parking garage or some other casino-related purpose -- which would seem more likely, given the building's location along the Pacific Avenue casino strip -- Resorts Atlantic City, the Claridge Casino Hotel and the Sands Hotel & Casino are instead footing the bill to preserve it.

Under state law, New Jersey casinos must invest 1.25 percent of their annual gross revenue in redevelopment projects through the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

The Carnegie project will count toward each casino's CRDA obligation.

The work is expected to take less than a year to complete. Stockton will spend about $400,000 to furnish and equip the building with computers and other "smart classroom" technology.

After that, the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority will lease the building to Stockton for $1 a year for five years.

The library, one of more than 2,800 established by the late steel baron and industrialist, also will offer continuing education classes for Atlantic City public school teachers.

"Being right next to the casinos will be extremely exciting," Vera King Farris, Stockton's president, said. "We want to put both training programs for casino workers and degree programs in there as well."

For Stockton, the establishment of a satellite campus near the Boardwalk brings the college full circle.

More than 30 years ago, what was then known as Stockton State College got its start offering classes in the old Mayflower Hotel, on the Boardwalk.

Farris and other Stockton officials joined with CRDA Chairman Edward H. Gant to sign the lease this month in a small ceremony at the CRDA's office.

"This is a big day for all of us," said Richard Hale, Stockton's interim vice president for administration and finance.