Page 33 - Spring_2018

ArchDC Spring 2018.qxp_Fall 2017 2/22/18 9:12 AM Page 31

Main circulation desk (at right), with children’s area in the background.
placed the main reading room along that façade, with tables and
chairs neatly nestled within the structure. The result is an eminently
modern space, but one that harks back to some of the great
neoclassical reading rooms of the past. Moreover, passersby on
the sidewalk can now clearly glimpse library patrons engrossed in
their books—a bit of free advertising for the library’s mission.
CORE placed the book stacks along the rear of this linear
space, beneath an undulating wall lining a mezzanine level
(behind which is the fitness center for residents of the apartments
above). The curvilinear wall provides a sculptural counterpoint to
the angularity of the structural columns. It is also animated by a
mural titled Paragons of the West End, by artist Adrienne Gaither,
which includes heavily stylized letters spelling out the names of
famous people who have lived in the area. Of course, the large-scale
letters also evoke words in books, appropriately for a library.
The airy, highly visible reading room and the jazzy mural
over the stacks both contribute to an atmosphere of openness and
informality in keeping with the goals set out by Ginnie Cooper, the
former DCPL head. “Ginnie said that the library should feel like a
bookstore,” explained Stewart. Instead of a stereotypically hermetic
temple for solitary readers, she envisioned something more like a
“living room” for the community. It was to be not only a place for
research and reading, but also an attractive gathering space,
including meeting rooms that could be accessed by neighborhood
residents after hours.
One by-product of that directive is evident as soon as one
steps inside the main library entrance off of L Street. Just to the
right of the circulation desk, opposite the reading room, is a full-
fledged, commercially operated café. By day, the café—which was
Children’s area.
LATEST EDITION 31