Emerson donates $1 million for genealogy center – St. Louis Post

Note: This story was updated to include information about total
fundraising.

Emerson is giving $1 million to build the auditorium for the
Center for Family History, the genealogy center planned by the St.
Louis County Library.

The large gift is part of the $18 million private capital
campaign for the center, which will be built in Chesterfield. The
library’s foundation
is raising the money.

Ground has not yet been broken, but work should begin this year,
said Jennifer McBride, communications manager for the library. Construction is estimated to
take 15 months.

The project was originally expected to begin in 2010 and be open
this year. The economic climate has made fundraising difficult,
McBride said today. She said some oral promises of donations have
fallen through. The foundation has raised about $9 million toward
the goal.

The library now hopes to have the center open in 2014, before a
National Genealogy Society conference scheduled for 2015 in St.
Louis.

In a press release, Pat Sly, Emerson’s
executive vice presidnt, stated: “The Center for Family History
will be a great asset to the St. Louis community. Emerson is
committed to the development of the Center and the strong
connection to history that it will foster.”

The county library system announced earlier this month that it
circulated a record 12 million-plus items last year and was the
busiest library in the state.