Lawrence’s Carnegie Library building is “fundamentally sound,” a new report says, but the city will have to spend more than $1 million to get the building in shape for a return to full-time use.

The building at Ninth and Vermont streets has been mostly empty  it still is used for occasional events  since earlier this year, when the Lawrence Arts Center vacated it for new digs in the 900 block of New Hampshire Street. Before that, it served as the city’s library from 1904 to 1972. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

“I think everybody recognizes the importance of this building,” said City Commissioner David Dunfield, who helped prepare the report in his role as an architect for GLPM Architects. “People want to see its continued use as a city building, and these repairs and additions are necessary.”

The city commissioned the GLPM report to help begin the process of deciding how the building will be used next. Nobody knows what that use will be, although a Civil War-era museum has been mentioned as a possibility.

GLPM’s report was a mixture of good and bad news.

“The building is in fundamentally sound condition,” the team of three architects said. “We identified no serious structural issues, and are particularly pleased to report that the building’s masonry is in good condition.”

But there are some features that need to be fixed.

“The roofing is definitely at the end of its life span,” Dunfield said Wednesday during a walk through the building. “All the mechanical systems are obsolete. What needs to be done is go through and modernize the whole system.”

A new entrance, restrooms and an elevator will be needed for the building to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the report said. Those features can be created in the existing building, or a small addition can be built on the north side.

Without the addition, the renovations would cost an estimated $1.12 million. With the addition, the price tag would be $1.4 million.

Officials say they want to save the building.

“It is truly a treasure for this community, and it’s something people say they want to be preserved,” Mayor Sue Hack said. “But it’s going to be expensive to do it.”

Historic preservationists say the money will be well-spent.

“I suppose for a building that size and scope, that’s not a large amount,” said Pat Kehde, president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance. “It’ll be a showpiece, a beauty.”

As noted in the report, “The Lawrence Carnegie Library is a local landmark and a city asset that can serve community needs for many decades to come.”

Dunfield said Wednesday that he hoped the renovations could be completed by 2004, in time for the city’s sesquicentennial and the building’s own 100th birthday.