The project restores and enhances the historic grandeur of the original 1910 Carnegie library on Youngstown’s “Cultural Corridor” Wick Avenue, and re-purposes it to meet the community’s 21st century needs. It creates a more seamless connection between the library’s 1994 addition to better support existing and emerging lines of library service. A bold, contemporary addition reinforces the library’s commitment to forward-looking services, and provides new entrances, an expansive community event space, and a state-of-the-art commercial teaching kitchen to support the library’s culinary literacy program.

The project mission was to connect people and communities, inspire learning, and foster enrichment by reinvigorating community services and reimagining the library to support those services. To realize these goals, the library maximized space for public collaboration and technology integration, incorporating a new ‘makerspace’ and children’s interactive display for literacy-based play.