(Washington, DC) – Mayor Bowser today cut the ribbon on the new Palisades Library in Ward 3. Located at 4901 V Street, NW, Palisades Library is the District’s eighteenth library renovated or rebuilt since 2009. The Mayor was joined by Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, At-Large Councilmember David Grosso, DC Public Library (DCPL) Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan, and members of the DC Public Library Board of Trustees.
“When you look at the thought put into the Palisades modernization, it is clear that we aren’t simply building new libraries – we are building libraries designed to serve our communities,” said Mayor Bowser.
Palisades Library is the first of three libraries to open in Washington, DC in 2018. Later this year, the Capitol View and Cleveland Park libraries will reopen.
After the $8.2 million modernization of the Palisades Library, it now features:
- seating for 200 people;
- all new furniture, fixtures, and flooring;
- a large programming room for up to 100 people;
- a conference room for 14 people;
- three small study rooms;
- a large vestibule;
- a green roof;
- a new staircase for easy wayfinding; and
- LEED Gold Certification.
“The modernized Palisades Library offers residents all the features that District residents expect from their new libraries while preserving the unique character of a classic mid-century exterior,” said DCPL Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan. “It respects the past but embraces the future, providing its visitors spaces and services unimaginable in the building we closed.”
Last year, DCPL put forth ambitious goals in the Library’s five-year strategic plan, including ensuring that five million people visit the District’s libraries each year, five million people check out books each year, and 75 percent of all DC residents hold an active library card account. The modernized Palisades Library reflects DCPL’s goal that each neighborhood library offers programs, services, and resources that respond to and reflect its distinct community.
Through the modernization, the Palisades Library now has enhanced technological offerings. Adult visitors will now have access to 12 laptops, making Palisades Library the first District library to offer access to laptops. Additionally, the renovation removed many of the buildings non-structural walls and increased the number of internet wireless access points, allowing visitors more access to the internet and wireless printing.
The new Palisades Library also offers meeting spaces for DC residents to use for community meetings, study groups, conversation circles, and other activities based on feedback from the community during the planning process. Each small study room can accommodate four people, and the large programming room can be divided into two smaller rooms.
The Palisades Library renovation was designed and built by the team of Cox, Graae & Spack Architects and MCN Build.