A Grand Silence

Among the unusual amenities available to patrons of Minneapolis’s new Cesar Pelli-designed public library are two refurbished grand pianos that anyone can sign up to practice on. “But unexpected problems with soundproofing, acclimating and tuning in the new building have caused delays,” and the pianos will stay silent for the forseeable future, until the library comes up with a plan to fix the problems and the money to pay for it.