Over the next five months, public use of a rejuvenated Thomas Maclaren-designed building that the Pikes Peak Library District owns in downtown Colorado Springs and revamped specifically as “a multipurpose venue providing space for arts, culture and business,” according to a 2019 library magazine, will be gradually eliminated.

Citing staffing shortages and security issues, top employees of the library district recently recommended to the organization’s board that the former Knights of Columbus Hall, renamed earlier this year as The Hall at PPLD, be closed to the public.

“The library will phase out this service over the next five months to ensure obligations to organizations that have already booked the facility are upheld,” Tammy Sayles, chief public services officer and deputy chief librarian, said in an email.

Events must occur before May 1, the closing date, she said.

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The library district has had problems keeping some library branches open during normal business hours at times throughout the year due to workforce shortages.

And The Hall at PPLD requires at a minimum two employees to be onsite when the building is open, according to Sayles.

“Our priority is to keep library branches open,” she said.

Also, Sayles said the floor plan of the building, at 20 W. Pikes Peak Ave., makes it difficult for library staff to monitor people entering and exiting because offices are far from the entrance, which is off the lower-level parking lot of Penrose Library at 20 N. Cascade Ave.

“Although staff make every effort to secure the building, it can be a challenge to ensure it’s empty at closure because it is expansive,” Sayles said.

Other library space at various branches is available for public meetings, events and activities, she added.

The Hall was renamed in February, after some people were confused about who owned the building and others complained that they felt the longstanding Knights of Columbus Hall name was offensive and not inclusive enough.

The large building, adjacent to Penrose Library, was one of the last commissions of acclaimed architect Thomas MacLaren, according to historical records.

From its 1928 construction until its sale in 1937, the building served as the lodge hall for the Knights of Columbus, Colorado Springs Council 582, city history states.

In the early days, the building also hosted public bazaars and boxing matches.

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Beginning in 1937, it housed the Colorado Springs Pioneer Association’s historical collection, which formed the foundation of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, now in the 1903 El Paso County Courthouse on South Tejon Street.

In 2017, The Hall hosted concerts.

Today, it’s listed on both the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties and the National Register of Historic Places.

The building had been closed, used as office and storage space and after renovations reopened in 2020 as a free space for community classes and events, to “foster creativity, innovation and community in downtown Colorado Springs,” according to the 2019 library article.

COVID shut it down again, but it reopened in 2021 and has been averaging just over 200 reservations a year, Sayles said.

However, “we have experienced a 40% cancellation and no-show rate,” she said, which has strained library district staff.

“The impact is more noticeable than at other library locations,” Sayles said. “At times, we have pulled staff from other locations to staff The Hall when necessary for larger events, possibly leaving another branch staffed more thinly than we’d like.”

In comparison, when a cancellation happens for reserved space inside a library, the branch’s operations can continue, with employees doing other duties, she said.

“At The Hall, the extra staff needs to be reassigned at the last minute to another location so they can work their scheduled hours.”

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Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts meetings, children’s playgroups, family reunions, baby showers, birthday parties, conferences, galas, exercise classes, poetry readings, music performances and art therapy classes for homeless people are among the activities that have been held over the past two years at The Hall.

“Many of these events can find homes in spaces at other Pikes Peak Library District locations,” Sayles said.

All reservations through May 1 will be honored.

After that, the building will be used for support staff offices and staff training, Sayles said.

“Dedicating this space for staff use ensures our other larger meeting rooms at Penrose and East libraries and Library 21c are available for the public,” she said.