long-anticipated new boulder library heading for construction

A new library, first proposed more than 20 years ago that will be part of the Boulder Public Library system, is at long last slated for construction on the north side of the city.

The new location will help accommodate a Boulder population that has jumped from around 95,000 in 2000 to more than 108,000 today.

The city’s library system currently has five libraries located in various parts of Boulder.

Planned for a nearly 3-acre site at 4540 Broadway Street, the two-story building will measure 12,800 square feet and house office space, reading areas, and meeting rooms.

The rectangular-shaped building will also include a lobby, children’s area, private workspace, and seating area.

An emphasis on exterior amenities will see the building of a plaza, playground, and community garden.

The project, designed by the New York-based Work Architectural Company, has been the subject of several public input meetings and is the centerpiece of the library system’s 2018 master plan.

Design phase for the building is expected to continue through to the rest of the year, with construction beginning in early 2020.

The Boulder Public Library’s first branch, today called the Carnegie Library for Local History at 1125 Pine Street, was designed to resemble a Greek temple and built in 1906 with funding from industrialist Andrew Carnegie.

By Garry Boulard

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