The D.C. Public Library (DCPL) and Mayor Vincent Gray announced Tuesday morning that the architectural team of Mecanoo and local firm Martinez + Johnson has been chosen to renovate the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G Street, NW) in DowntownDC.
“Today, the District takes another step towards giving our residents the great central library they deserve in a way that helps improve both the public’s library experience and our library system’s bottom line,” Gray said during the announcement. Gray was joined by Interim Chief Librarian Joi Mecks and members of the DCPL Board of Trustees.
[See Mecanoo/Martinez + Johnson’s renovation proposal here.]
Mecanoo/Martinez + Johnson was chosen from one of three finalists who had competed in a three-phase selection process run by the library to select which firm will be tasked with renovating and modernizing D.C.’s central library, which is in disrepair.
Finalists Mecanoo/Martinez + Johnson Architecture, Patkau Architects/Ayers Saint Gross with Krueck + Sexton, and STUDIOS Architecture/The Freelon Group participated in a Library Design Forum Feb. 15 where they presented their renovation designs for both a standalone renovated library and a mixed-use public building. The submissions were then reviewed by an advisory panel, which includes DowntownDC BID Deputy Executive Director Richard T. Reinhard, and a winner was chosen.
The advisory panel has encouraged and accepted public input throughout the process.
Mecks on Tuesday stated that the library had received 1600 feedback items and emphasized that public involvement will continue to be a key element of the renovation moving forward. “Martinez + Johnson and Mecanoo will work with library staff and the community on determining what services will be offered in the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. There will be more community meetings, more focus groups, more surveys and more crowdsourcing to come,” Mecks said.
The winning architects will now begin preparing a contract for approval by the contract review committee comprised of the Library’s Board of Trustees and the D.C. City Council. The concept (mixed-use versus standalone library) has yet to be chosen.
DCPL, in partnership with the DowntownDC BID in 2011 first engaged the Urban Land Institute (ULI)—a non-profit research and education organization—to assess the condition and suitability of the historic building and to gather advice on renovations. The BID assisted the DCPL in working with ULI, and together they created a process for architectural firms to present sound and exciting design options for “the library of the future.”
Early estimates for the total cost of the renovation project range from $225 million to $250 million, but an exact amount has yet to be determined. The Mayor and D.C. City Council have committed $103 million.
This story has been updated from an original version published Feb. 10.