PHOTOS: Latest details on new Charlotte Mecklenburg Main Library being built in uptown
Officials have revealed a sneak peak into what Charlotte’s new Main Library in uptown will look like.
The new library will be built on the same site as the current main library, which closed nearly two years ago, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
The uptown library, home to the same site as the first free library in Mecklenburg County from 1903, was last renovated and expanded about 35 years ago.
Renovating the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s flagship location is part of a project that is a step toward revitalizing that corridor of uptown around 7th Street.
“This project, designed with community input, gives us a chance to give our city and county a flagship library that creates more public spaces, houses our collections of materials and resources, provides places to gather and to partner with other community agencies to serve our public,” library officials said in a news release about the branch’s closure in 2021.
“The new library will be totally reimagined to serve uptown Charlotte and serve as the main library for our system.”
Charlotte library cost, construction and design
The $137 million library project is estimated to open in spring 2026, but crews are preparing to start work soon. According to library officials, demolition is scheduled to begin this quarter with construction going from 2024 to 2025.
“A lot of factors play into the timeline of the building demolition” Conroy Parchment, construction manager, explained in a video update on the project. “We will manage the demolition slowly, methodically and ensure that it is safely removed from the site in preparation for the new building.”
The library will have five levels complete with a cafe, courtyard, a catering kitchen and more.
Here’s a look at what some floors will look like from renderings:
Level One (Community): Knight Hall grand lobby, courtyard, forum for programming, book collection of bestsellers and latest releases, immersive theater area and a café.
Level Two (Opportunity and Innovation): Opportunity and career center, innovation lab, technology hub, digital visualization lab, new resident welcome center, outdoor terrace.
Level Three (Reference and Research): Collections, study carrels, multi-purpose classroom, reference hub, community “living room.”
Level Four (History and Genealogy): Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room.
Level Five (Destination): Destination reading room, event space, catering kitchen, outdoor terrace.
“The new main library will be a major destination in uptown Charlotte; a free, open, and accessible information hub for Mecklenburg County long-timers, newcomers, and those just stopping through,” Charlotte Mecklenburg Library said in a news release. “It will be an architecturally distinctive, state-of-the-art, technologically advanced knowledge center, where everyone in the community can access the resources of a 21st century library.”
You can find more information on the New Main Library project online at https://www.cmlibrary.org/new-main-library.
