Southwest Neighborhood Library
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Southwest Neighborhood Library is a branch of the District of Columbia Public Library in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is located at 900 Wesley Place SW.[1]
| Southwest Neighborhood Library | |
|---|---|
The new library in 2021. | |
 | |
| 38.878692°N 77.015980°W | |
| Location | 900 Wesley Place SW, Washington, DC 20024, United States |
| Type | Public library |
| Branch of | District of Columbia Public Library |
| Other information | |
| Website | https://www.dclibrary.org/southwest |
History
The library first opened in 1940 as part of the then-new Thomas Jefferson Memorial Junior High School, a Georgian Revival-style building designed by architect Nathan C. Wyeth, at 701 7th St. SW.[2] A new library building opened in 1965[3] and closed in June 2019, with a new $18 million building to be constructed in its place.[4][5][6] During construction, interim library service was provided at 425 M Street SW.[4]
The new 20,000-square-foot building, which opened in May 2021, was designed by Perkins and Will and built by Turner Construction.[6] Built primarily out of mass timber and glass, it was produced in pieces in Vancouver and shipped to Washington, where it was assembled.[6]
Though it is one floor shorter than the old building, the new library was designed with a focus on community space.[5][6] It includes a large meeting room, three conference rooms, and four study rooms, as well as an outdoor porch. New technology incorporated in the rebuilt library includes an innovation lab with 3-D printers, as well as solar panels that provide for half of the building's energy needs.[5][6] The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation also collaborated with the library to improve the playground adjacent to the building.[6]