A recent article in The Augusta Chronicle seemed to imply that Historic Augusta Inc. approved of the revised design of the proposed new downtown library ("Preservation panel OKs library look," June 18). Historic Augusta has not endorsed the design, and we urge the library board to take more time to revise the current plan.

Undoubtedly insiders have been diligently working on this project for five years, but many of us have only been invited to the table in the past few weeks. We believe the design is not the best effort that can be made, and urge the architects to go back to the drawing board to make significant changes to the exterior design of the proposed building.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS bring into focus the importance of our Downtown Design Guidelines. Downtown Augusta has been designated as a historic district under both the National Register of Historic Places and the Augusta Historic Preservation Ordinance. The latter designation requires design review, not only for proposed demolition and alterations of existing buildings, but also for new construction. Historic Augusta provided in-kind assistance in developing the Downtown Design Guidelines which were commissioned under the auspices of the city of Augusta. The guidelines were professionally written by Frazer and Associates, a nationally respected architectural and historic preservation firm located in Staunton, Va. The document can be easily accessed and downloaded from the city's Web site at www.augustaga.gov/departments/planning_zoning/hist_preserv.asp.

IT IS MY understanding that these design guidelines were not consulted when the exterior elevations for the proposed new building were originally drawn. Yet, the project managers had already come before the Augusta Historic Preservation Commission to get approval for demolishing the buildings that were in their way, so they surely understood that the site is within the boundaries of a designated historic district. It is the responsibility of owners within the Downtown Historic District to comply with the preservation ordinance, just as they are responsible for complying with any other city ordinances that affect their projects.

The first rendition of the new library that came before the preservation commission was in June 2006. That plan was without much detail, and in fact looked quite different than the one that was presented in April of this year, with subsequent revisions. No input was sought from Historic Augusta.

More recent renditions of the library's exterior show insensitivity to historic architecture within the district. This is particularly true along the 800 block of Greene Street, where the new building will anchor an important corner. Reference has been made to the existing library across James Brown Boulevard and the parking garage across Greene Street, neither of which being examples that we would recommend emulating. Rather, inspiration could be taken from nearby historic institutional buildings in the vicinity including the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection; the Old First Baptist Church and its adjacent Sunday school building; or from the U.S. District Court building on Telfair Street. Even the row of red-brick commercial buildings that continue down James Brown Boulevard to the south of the proposed new library could give suggestions of more conforming design in the very heart of the Downtown Historic District.

AUGUSTANS WILL live with this important public building for many years to come. Mistakes have been made in the past that we hope will not be repeated on this and other large new buildings now in the works. It is imperative that public buildings represent the values of the community and are icons of civic pride. Consider the Municipal Building, now 50 years old and still the target of derision on a regular basis.

Surely we can build a library of which we can all be proud. Let it take its place as a 21st-century Augusta landmark among the many 19th- and 20th-century landmarks found in the Garden City that have become symbols of our community.

(The writer is executive director of Historic Augusta Inc.)