Community: Development

Walker Library

STATUS UPDATES
February 28, 2010: It sounds like the CAC convinced Hennepin County to focus solely on rebuilding on the existing Walker Library site rather than consider looking at other options.

Project Details
Architect: TBD
Current Use: Library
Proposed Use: Library
Approximate Size: 18,000 - 20,000 Sq. Ft.

Project Description
Hennepin County is in the process of determining how and where it will rebuild the Walker Library. The existing library has had a number of issues relating to water leakage, structural concerns, a lack of light, and a poorly designed layout thanks to its location two-stories underground. The new library will be approximately 18,000 to 20,000 square feet in size and will likely feature the latest in library and sustainability design.

A Community Advisory Committee has been formed and is being used by Hennepin County to provide insight into what the community would like out of its library. An RFP process for architectural services is upcoming.

In the mid-2000s, the then in existence Minneapolis Library Board considered building a new Walker Library on the existing library site on the northwest corner of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis. The Board issued an Request for Proposals and received a number of responses for mixed-use building with a ground floor library and multiple floors of housing above. However, none of the responses met all of the Board's requirements and the Board dropped its plan to rebuild.

After the Minneapolis Public Library system merged with Hennepin County, the Hennepin County Commission voted to allocated $15 million for a new Walker Library. That allocation was decreased to $12 million in 2009 as new information on how much would be required to build a new library emerged.

DOWNLOADS

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Articles

- Traudes, Cristof & Jake Weyer. "Rethinking Southwest's library." Southwest Journal 27 Jul. 2009.

- Traudes, Cristof. "Civic beat // Walker Library." Southwest Journal 13 Jul. 2009.

- Traudes, Cristof. "Help decide Walker Library's future this week." Southwest Journal 10 Jul. 2009.

Updated February 28, 2010

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