Fulton officials to mull Central Atlanta Library renovation proposal

And just in time, the Architecture and Design Center provides some ideas for a revamped building

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Just a few months ago, the future of Downtown’s Central Atlanta Library seemed uncertain. Atlanta Fulton Public Library System officials, Fulton County commissioners, and architecture buffs squared off over what should be done with the Marcel Breuer-designed building, one of the renowned architect’s last works. Some called for a new library built elsewhere in the neighborhood, which raised the possibility that the architecturally significant building could be vacated, sold, and, depending on the new owner, potentially demolished.

ost, however, wanted to see the concrete building renovated and reprogrammed. And it’s looking like the push to renovate the building is winning. At a mid-June open house, 42 of 55 people who formally commented said they favored renovating the existing library. Some members of the Atlanta City Council have expressed their desire to see the building fixed up. Some Fulton officials have already said the current library should be preserved. 

o what should a renovation of the Central Atlanta Library entail? On Wednesday, the commission is expected to chew on a recommendation by AFPLS to renovate five or six floors of the building and spruce up three or four floors that could be leased to “partners who enhance library mission.” The total cost would be between $40 million and $55 million.

ust in time for that discussion, the Architecture and Design Center, a nonprofit that encourages better buildings and places in Atlanta, has released an “unsolicited re-imagining” of a renovated Central Atlanta Library to inspire public officials. The pro bono drawings by Praxis3 show what could be done to bring some life to the under-maintained building. 

n a statement, ADC says it offered the renderings to show the library “can once again be a vital, dynamic part of the Atlanta community. It is our belief that this 20th century architectural masterpiece can be updated to become an iconic and exemplary 21st Century public library.”

ore renderings, plus a floor-by-floor explanation of ADC’s reimagined building, after the jump.

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ere’s a rundown of ADC’s “unsolicited re-imagining” of the library:

? ADC’s Library Redesign:

A New Margaret Mitchell Square
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Marcel Breuer planned the building so that the main view of the library would be from the northeast where the Peachtree Center MARTA Station exits on to Peachtree Street. Because four streets used to come together at that point, the space is open and provides the clearest view of the library.

This building is part of a rich historic area. The area used to be a gathering place for Atlantans. The neon Coca-Cola sign now on display at the World of Coke was located across the street when the Library opened. The Loew’s Grand Theater, was located where the Georgia Pacific Tower stands today, hosted the premier of “Gone with the Wind”.

Today, the Library contains an archive of Margaret Mitchell’s important documents and artifacts, and it is also the only building that has an address on Margaret Mitchell Square. The square itself is a small triangle of land with fountains and benches located across from the Library between Forsyth and Peachtree Streets.

We propose reworking Margaret Mitchell Square, the Library Plaza, the spaces around the MARTA entrances and the plaza in front of the Georgia Pacific tower and the streets between them, to create a unified sense of place. The streets and plazas would be finished in similar materials to unite the different elements, and pedestrian amenities would be added. This would highlight the Library’s presence and give it a strong connection to Peachtree Street. It could also serve as Atlanta’s town square on special occasions.

In our design the space immediately in front of the library has been made simpler and more inviting. We’ve redesigned the plaza to create a smooth, continuous connection to the street, making it an extension of the first floor library. We also added a new entry at the corner of Forsyth and Williams Streets to provide independent access to the Library’s Lower Level. We envision the plaza being activated by different uses such as a pop up cafe or farmers market.

Sub-Basement
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Parking

The Sub-Basement currently contains a loading dock and 78 parking places. Currently the parking is used by staff. Our design proposes finding parking options for staff offsite but nearby and making the onsite parking available to patrons.

Basement / Lower Level
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Theater

Design Center Space

Restaurant

Atlanta City Gallery

Service Space and Offices

“Basement” is probably a misleading. Though it’s located below the first floor, it has multiple entry doors and windows due to the slope of land around the building. The Lower Level was designed to contain spaces that are open to the public, but not connected to the core functions of the library, including a theater, restaurant and gallery/event space.

Our design imagines keeping the theater and gallery in place and reopening the restaurant located at the corner of Carnegie Way and Fairlie St. All of these can be important community assets as well as sources of revenue to support building operations. We also propose relocating the children’s section to another part of the building, and replacing it with an Atlanta City Gallery that would use the new entry corner of Forsyth and Williams Streets as an entry. The Atlanta Design Gallery would tell the story of how the city and region physically developed and provide up to date information on future development plans.

First Floor
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City Commons Room / Information Concierge

Traditional Library Services

Gift Shop

Due to the existing building lay out part of the building will have to remain open after hours to allow access to after-hours functions. We used this as an opportunity to create what we call a City Commons Room. We conceived of this space as an extension of the plaza. It is a place where people could meet each other before going into the rest of the library or a location nearby.

At the heart of the City Common Room is the Information Concierge. A modern librarian’s job is as much about helping people navigate a vast amount of information as it is about finding information. The Information Concierge would direct people to information within the library system, connect them with resources that would help interpret information, and direct them to resources outside the library that may also be of interest. Just off the City Commons is a gift shop.

The 1st Floor was designed by Breuer and library officials to be the busy active area of the building. When the building was renovated in 2002 many of the functions in this area were moved to other floors. Circulation dropped after these changes were made.

To help restore higher circulation numbers we propose relocating the traditional library services to the 1st and 2nd floors. The library will be separated from City Commons Room by a seven foot tall glass wall modeled on the glass wall currently on the first floor.

We also opened this level to the second floor to more clearly connect the first floor to the rest of the building and give visitors a view of the monumental stair above. This addresses the need for more light and openness in the library

Second, Third and Fourth Floors
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Central Library Functions

Community Live/Work/Learn Space

Special Collections

Breuer Gallery

Margaret Mitchel Gallery

Flex Space

A central library serves as the intellectual and cultural heart of community. It is the one place where everyone can come together and access resources that help them grow their understanding of the world.

Breuer and library leaders envisioned the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor as public spaces, but spaces that were quieter and more contemplative than the 1st floor. Their intention was to group casual sitting and reading areas around the sculptural stairs and near the few large windows.

The rear section of these floors was conceived of by Breuer as shear volume for the many books and periodicals that libraries needed in 1980. Today these areas can be used as a “Flex Space” which librarians can rearrange and use to meet the constantly changing demands of the modern library.

Our design uses the areas around the stairs and near the windows as a Community Live/Work/Learn space. Instead of a quite contemplative space, we see this as an active, boisterous place where people come to study, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. The central volume around the stairs is surrounded by work spaces, meeting rooms, children’s spaces and other community oriented functions. We’ve pushed spaces for people back towards the large windows to maximize the amount of light.

On the 2nd floor we propose using part of the Flex Space as galleries to exhibit Margaret Mitchell’s archives, and to exhibit material telling the story of the Central Library, how it was the first central library built after segregation ended, how and why city officials reached out to Marcel Breuer, who Marcel Breuer was and how the design of the building came about. The rest of 2nd floor Flex Space we suggest using for an expanded special collections department.

Community meeting and Maker Spaces will also be located here.

On the 3rd and 4th floor we left the Flex Space un-programmed. We envision it being filled with any of a wide variety of emerging innovative 21st century library services, public/private initiatives, or civic engagement programs. The point of the Flex Space is that it never stops changing and developing. One function may occupy it for a few years to be replaced by another when times and technology change. Libraries are ever changing and library building design should reflect that.

Fifth Floor
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Conference and Event Space

Courtyard Event Space

We envision a revitalized library at the center of a new entrepreneurial high-tech village serving the entire community. The conference and event space on the 5th floor becomes a link between the public and the library. In the daytime it could be used for continuing education classes and other functions open to the public, in the evenings and on weekends it could serves as a rental event space providing revenue that supports the library’s operations.

Sixth and Seventh Floors
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Library System Headquarters

Start-up / Non-Profit Office Space

The 6th and 7th floor are currently used as office spaces. They overlook the fifth floor courtyard.

We propose redesigning the Library System offices to make more efficient use of space, and either leasing out unused space to startups or donate the use of the space to local non-profits.

Eighth Floor
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Server Farm / Data Center

The windowless 8th floor was designed for book and equipment storage. In keeping with our concept of the library as the center of an IT village, we propose it be used a server farmer for the library system and county.??