(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser joined District leaders, library staff, and community members to celebrate the grand reopening of the historic Southeast Library, located at 403 7th Street SE in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The $41 million modernization doubled the size of the century-old Carnegie Library and preserved one of the District’s most significant neighborhood landmarks.
“I’m proud that over the past 12 years, we have renovated, rebuilt, or invested in all 26 of our neighborhood libraries,” said Mayor Bowser. “This is probably my final library opening as your mayor – and it’s a good one. This library represents the lengths our teams go to get these projects right. They had to lift a century-old building onto steel supports, dig out a new basement, and get creative about bringing in sunlight. But once you’re inside, you see that it was all worth it.”
Originally opened on December 8, 1922, the Southeast Library is the District’s second-oldest neighborhood library and one of four Carnegie libraries built in Washington, DC. Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of more than 2,500 libraries around the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, helping establish the public library as an institution where people could access books, information, and educational opportunities for free.
Washington, DC embraced that vision, and four Carnegie libraries were built in the District: the Central Public Library in 1903 in Mount Vernon Square, which now houses an Apple Store and the DC History Museum; the Takoma Library in 1911; the Southeast Library in 1922; and the Mount Pleasant Library in 1925. More than a century later, all four remain standing and continue to serve Washingtonians.
The Southeast Library modernization represents the latest chapter in that history. The project preserves the historic building while expanding its footprint from 7,943 square feet to 17,547 square feet.
The project required an unusually complex approach to expanding a historic building on a constrained urban site. Crews excavated as much as 40 feet below the existing library and temporarily supported the century-old structure during construction of a new lower level. An addition was also constructed along South Carolina Avenue SE, allowing the library to gain significant additional space while preserving the historic character of the original building and its Seventh Street streetscape.
“The new and dramatically expanded Southeast Library demonstrates how we can preserve our landmarks while at the same time adapting them for future use,” said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director of the DC Public Library. “By doubling the size of the building below ground, adding generous amounts of natural light throughout, and installing a fully accessible entrance, we have created a space that can welcome tens of thousands of additional visitors per year while keeping the familiar footprint of the 1922 historic library the neighborhood loves.”
The expanded library includes dedicated spaces for children and teens, public study and meeting rooms, updated technology infrastructure, and a new universally accessible entrance on South Carolina Avenue SE that opens at sidewalk level onto the ground floor. A monumental stair and an elevator, both located in the new addition, connect all three levels. A new central skylight and lightwell bring natural light through the center of the building, from the roof to the lowest level.
The renovation also restored original historic features in the upper level, including the library’s fireplace mantel and its historic laylight, an ornamental glass ceiling panel that was discovered behind plaster during a 2020 site investigation, restored offsite, and reinstalled as part of the project.
Outside, brick pavers, granite-clad retaining walls, and new landscaping welcome visitors, and a green roof covers the addition.
The DC Public Library (DCPL) worked with Quinn Evans and Whiting-Turner as the project’s design-build team for the Southeast Library.
The Southeast Library modernization reflects the priorities of Next Libris, DCPL’s Facilities Master Plan, which guides how the District will maintain, design, and expand library facilities in the years ahead. The plan focuses on maintaining aging buildings and systems, designing interiors around the needs of individual communities, and growing the system to provide fair library services across the city.
Since Mayor Bowser took office in 2015, all 26 DCPL locations have been funded, rebuilt or renovated. In Ward 6, the Northeast Library is scheduled for renovation. In Ward 2, the Shaw Library is currently undergoing renovation, with completion expected in early 2027. In Ward 8, construction preparation work has also begun on a new full-service library in Congress Heights, expected to open in 2027.
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