La Roche College’s oldest building is new again.

Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl on Thursday dedicated a $1.6 million renovation of the John J. Wright Library, 43 years after it opened as the first building on the Catholic college’s campus in McCandless. Wuerl formerly served as bishop of Pittsburgh.

“We believe the library should be the intellectual heart of our college campus,” said Howard Ishiyama, La Roche’s vice president for academic affairs.

It was designed to be a prime spot for students to grab coffee, chat with classmates at the Providence World Cafe or rehearse multimedia presentations in a room equipped with a state-of-the-art “smart” board.

Overhauling the library is part of La Roche’s long-term plans to update its facilities, including construction of an academic building and dormitory. The Palumbo Science Center, which opened in 1980, is likely the next project, Ishiyama said.

Students offered recommendations for improving the library through a survey, inspiring many changes completed during summer break, Ishiyama said.

Now, instead of cramming into the library only in the days before midterm and final exams, more of the college’s 1,416 students are using its new group study pods and conference room, he said.

“The investment in this multipurpose learning center will be an asset in attracting students to La Roche,” said Joseph DiMario, chairman of the La Roche Board of Trustees.

When the library — named after the eighth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh — was built, it offered isolated cubicles so students could read and reflect privately on their work.

“Now students want to learn in teams and groups,” Ishiyama said. “They want to sit around and chat in a comfortable environment.”

Money from 175 private donors covered most of the renovation cost. La Roche received $500,000 in grants from a state redevelopment fund and the state Department of Education to cover the rest.

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