Baldwin Public Library: Three Phase Renovation Plan
Based on feedback from Library patrons, staff, and community members, the Baldwin Public Library developed a long-term vision of the Library building in 2015. The plan called for a well-designed, forward-looking, technologically advanced, and visually exciting space in which to carry out innovative library services in the 21st century.
The third and final phase of renovations included the following improvements:
- Expansion of the Front Entrance by 2,000 square feet
- Accessible, street-level entrance with interior ramp and passenger elevator
- Renovation of 3,000 square feet of interior space
- Energy-efficient, glare-reducing glass from floor to ceiling
- New furniture, flooring, and lighting
- New café and collaboration space with vending machines
- Dedicated sale area for the Friends of the Baldwin Public Library
- Addition of four new enclosed study rooms
- Outdoor terrace and gardens to visually connect with Shain Park
The project was completed in 2024 at a cost of $4,050,153. Project professionals included:
- Architects: MCD Architects
- Construction: PCI Dailey
- Building Management: The City of Birmingham
The second phase of renovations included the following improvements:
- 40% expansion, or approximately 2,000 square feet
- New furniture and carpeting
- Larger play area, story room, and seating capacity
- Make the entire area ADA-compliant, including the book shelves and the bathrooms
- Modernize and increase the capacity of the bathrooms
- Add display cases and a large aquarium, as well as a separate room for strollers and coats
- Expose the brick of the original 1927 building
- Clad the room in heat- and glare-reducing glass from floor to ceiling
- Add an outdoor children’s terrace and garden
The project was completed in 2020 at a cost of $2,729,146. Project professionals included:
- Architects: Robert Ziegelman, John Gardner, and Karen Swanson of Luckenbach Ziegelman Gardner Associates
- Construction: The Dailey Company
- Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment: Library Design Associates
- Building Management: The City of Birmingham
Our first renovation included the following improvements:
- Improved acoustics, infrastructure, wayfinding, lighting, layout, and energy efficiency in the part of the Library built in the early 1980s
- New exterior windows along the curved wall on the Library’s south and west sides
- Exposure of the original brick color on the south side of the 1927 building
- New furniture, fixtures, and carpeting
- More study and collaboration rooms, an updated computer lab, a new makerspace, and a new reading room off the Grand Hall
The project was completed in 2017 at a cost of $2,064,253. Project professionals included:
- Architects: Luckenbach Ziegelman Gardner
- Interior Designer: Karen Swanson
- Construction: The Dailey Company
- Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment: Library Design Associates
- Building Management: The City of Birmingham