April 6, 2007
Shaw Might Finally Get A Library
Without a library since 2004, the Shaw neighborhood may finally be getting a place with walls to borrow books. The neighborhood's Watha T. Daniel library, as well as the Tenleytown, Anacostia, and Benning libraries, were supposed to have been renovated by 2006, but after a series of delays and cancelled contracts, there may be some book relief coming.
We got an email from the D.C. Public Library via ANC commissioner Michael Bernardo saying a temporary library building will be installed on April 12th at 925 Rhode Island Ave NW, around the corner from the current branch, and should be open in about two months while the facility gets stocked and brought up to code. A temporary building for the Benning library is on a similar schedule and the Tenleytown and Anacostia libraries have had temporary buildings for a few months. We hope the temporary building has some cool, old school READ posters.
Shaw has had a "Hi-Tech" (sometimes called "X-Treme" book mobile on Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays, but their limited hours and size isn't ideal.
Hopefully the temporary buildings will open on schedule. According to the email, the four closed branches are now supposed to be demolished by July 2007 and the permanent Shaw library is projected to open in 2010.
Photo courtesy Rob Goodspeed from his blog.
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It's a friggin' shame. I'm glad they are putting up a temporary site though. I've got friends who work for the MLK library and they swear those locations were closed to make some money on real-estate. I don't know whether to believe that or not, but a lot can happen between now and 2010. To not have a library there in Shaw for 3 years is shameful, just shameful.
SomeGuy, I also heard rumours that Watha T. Daniel is to be torn down to make way for a radio station/community center that has condos on the top level. So, your library friends may be right. Or is this just a rumor and has no basis in truth?
The Radio One HQ is scheduled to be built at the 7th & S Street NW exit of the Shaw metro near Howard and NOT the 8th & R Street NW exit of the Shaw metro near Watha T. Daniel.
Nonetheless, in the meantime some sort of "future of in 20XX" sign or historical marker detailing the significance of Watha T. Daniel should be in place throughout the time period of construction in 2010.
now if only mlk didn't smell like peepee.