The Mott Branch library in Toledo’s Smith Park is a 21st century library and community gathering space defined by a bold undulating roof, a form shaped by layered meanings. The branch namesake Anna Mott, daughter of Toledo abolitionists, inspired geometries found in Underground Railroad quilts. The park setting deserved a design that enhanced and respected the landscape and an adjacent grove of trees. These two influences combined to create the library’s bold triangulated roofscape and structure. The library revitalizes the Mott namesake, while also reinforcing the landscaped setting to function as a pavilion in the park.

The library is an oasis, enhancing community gatherings and library programs, literally and metaphorically supporting the community’s journey towards a better future. As the library was nearing completion, children in the neighborhood dubbed it the “Mott-kanda” branch, after the fictional African country Wakanda depicted in the Marvel Comics Black Panther series as the most technologically advanced nation on the planet.