June 27, 2007
New Central Public Library Plans Shelved
The Examiner reports that renovations are underway at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the central branch of the D.C. Public Public system. The improvements come after former Mayor Anthony Williams' proposal to replace the building with a new flagship library two blocks away on the site of the old convention center was first tabled by the D.C. Council and then shelved by the Fenty administration.
Improvements to the outdated and long-neglected MLK Library in Mount Vernon Square address pressing needs, said Monica Lewis, library spokeswoman. The library system is expected to spend more than $2 million revamping the restrooms, replacing more than 1,000 ceiling lamps, modernizing three elevators, constructing a 1,800-square-foot, 38-seat technology training lab, and replacing all staff and customer computers.
Some of the projects are under way, some are planned and others are already finished.
Williams' plan stirred up a heated debate between those who see the current facility, which was designed by famed modernist architect Mies van der Rohe, as a neglected eyesore that serves as more of homeless shelter than a library, and preservationists dedicated to saving the architecturally and historically significant building. The library is the only Mies building in the District, as well as one of the earliest monuments to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
This news probably shouldn't get those who want to save the library too excited, though. Spending $2 million on crucial repairs is really just a drop in the bucket of the estimated cost of rehabbing the neglected building -- which some have suggested could cost upwards of $100 million. And as the Examiner story points out, Mayor Fenty has shelved, but not "trashed" the plans for a new main library.
Previously on DCist:
*Opinionist: Library Plan Serves Mayor, Not D.C.
*Williams Pushes Forward With Library Plans
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This is excellent news. Money needs to be spent on the local branch libraries before spending it on an extravagant new downtown library.
How many people would really travel from say Ward 8 or Ward 3 to a downtown library if their local branch was decent?
wow, replacing all staff! eat it book stackers
I say forget moving Central Union Mission up to Georgia Avenue and move it to the library. It's practically that already.
The Union Mission kicks clients into the street during daytime. That the libraries become, by default, day centers for the homeless and mentally ill is not something libraries can change.
Yey! It's like putting lipstick on a pig.
Also, the MLK Library is not in Mount Vernon Square, it's in Penn Quarter. Or for you old fogies, Chinatown (haha).
I hope I read this correctly: "replacing all staff".
What have the staff done or not done to warrant being replaced?
It was clear to me that they are referring to staff and customer COMPUTERS. Maybe the sentence just isn't worded well?
$2 million for renovations that should have been completed a long time ago regardless of whether the library was moving or staying. A drop in the bucket while this whole issue continues to sit in limbo.
I mean, how hard is it to make a decision?
Step 1: Decide whether it is staying in current location or moving to a different one. It will cost roughly the same amount in both locations; unless we want to take the cheap way out and do minimal renovations at current location in which case we still are stuck with a neglected library.
Step 2: Don't we have people with Master's degrees and Finance credentials that are able to figure this stuff out?
Can someone please explain to me how this building can be called architecturally "significant"? I mean, look at the picture. It is a 3-D rectangle with square windows. My 2-year old cousin learned to do that at daycare. If it isn't the ugliest and LEAST significant design in the world, than that just means I haven't seen all of the world's buildings.--MKE
Simply rearranging some furniture and the stacks would make MLK a much less unpleasant place.
This is a butt ugly building. Built by a famous guy, yes. But still butt ugly. And not likely to improve with age.
I thought it was designed by a famous architect, but not built entirely consistent with his design. Isn't it missing a few floors, among other things?
for a city with a downtown full of truly ghastly architecture, you'd think the culturally clueless citizens of DC would have already torn one of ludwig's buildings down--after all, what good is the work of the world's preeminent modern architects when we need pre-cast concrete columns and porticos?
$2 million to renovate a few elements of a horribly designed building that gets too hot, fills with exhaust fumes from outside, and is always full of bums? Why not just tear it down and give $2 million in Barnes-and-Noble cards to local kids instead?