Southwest Neighborhood Library

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.
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38°52′43″N 77°00′58″W / 38.878692°N 77.015980°W / 38.878692; -77.015980
Location900 Wesley Place SW, Washington, DC 20024, United States
TypePublic library
Branch ofDistrict of Columbia Public Library
Other information
Websitehttps://www.dclibrary.org/southwest

History

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The exterior of the library in 2017.

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 interior of the new Southwest Neighborhood Library in 2021.

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]

References

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  1. ^ "Southwest Library". District of Columbia Public Library. September 14, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  2. ^ Giddens, Lucia (September 8, 1940). "80,000 D.C. Pupils Ready For School". The Washington Post. pp. L1.
  3. ^ "Southwest Library History". District of Columbia Public Library. July 23, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Southwest Library Construction Updates". District of Columbia Public Library. November 8, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Gathright, Jenny (May 17, 2019). "The Southwest Library Is Closing For More Than A Year To Undergo A Modernization". DCist. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Williams, Elliot C.; Turner, Tyrone (May 13, 2021). "Take A Peek Inside The Newly Renovated Southwest Library". DCist. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
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