St. Louis Central Library Renovation Complete

Last year, when World-Architects visited the studio of Cannon Design, we learned about the firms's renovation of the St. Louis Public Library's Central Library, designed by Cass Gilbert in 1912. Their design involved removing obsolete book stacks in the north wing and replacing them with new floors overlooking a large atrium, and creating a new entry pavilion overlooking Lucas Park. The library reopened in December after being closed two years for the $70 million renovation.

As these photos indicate, the renovation balances the insertion of new elements with the restoration of old spaces and surfaces; generally the former is on the north and the latter on the south. Some spaces and services were moved offsite, opening up the whole library to public functions, including, per Cannon Design, "a new 250-seat auditorium and exhibit area, an updated children’s area with activity spaces, a teen lounge adjacent to the library’s new Creative Experience multi-media studio, [and] a Center for the Reader that expands access to new books and popular materials." The project points the way for other cities that are battling to update old libraries for the 21st century.