Atlanta’s Central Library in Metropolis Magazine
One of the silliest trends in Atlanta recently has been to propose new “visionary” libraries to replace “old and busted” libraries. Please recall Ben Carter’s offer to create a replica of the Buckhead Library.
Metropolis Magazine — an architecture, design, and preservation magazine — just published a story on Atlanta’s central library designed by Marcel Breuer, he of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
Breuer’s building is an example of brutalism. It’s an angular, blocky architectural style which resides in the trough of no value for most people, including Fulton County Commissioner Rob Pitts.
Pitts would like to create a “visionary” “technology library” because other cities have built iconic libraries and been successful. The Breuer Library would be sold and “repurposed,” which might as well mean “demolished.” Pardon me, but this is totally wack.
Sure, the renderings of the potential new library I’ve seen look pretty, but don’t most renderings look pretty?
I mean no offense to ai3, the architecture firm behind this rendering — it’s just too bad we’ve been through this before. It’s almost as if history could repeat itself.
The Breuer Library is already iconic and visionary. Plus, it was originally the new, modern answer to the beautiful Carnegie Library, which has been torn down. Sounds familiar.
Now only a pillar stands from the original Carnegie Library. It’s a sad little monument.
The Breuer Library, like the Carnegie Library before it, is not broken, but it does need some updating. Just because homeless people tend to congregate in front of the building does not mean tearing the building down is a wise thing to do.
As long as Pitts is talking expensive, pie-in-the-sky ideas (and he is!), why not repurpose the ground level of three parking decks that flank the Breuer Library? Giving those decks ground floor retail would activate the street, making the library much more attractive and vibrant.
There’s a blog and a petition to save Atlanta’s Central Branch Library. If you’re feeling limber, you can even tour the place courtesy of Docomomo and the Atlanta Preservation Center on March 11 at 6:30.
The moral –
Don’t: Tear down a significant, historic building designed by an internationally renowned architect.
Do: Read Overdue! in Metropolis Magazine by Jonathan Lerner and this post over at Terminal Station.
Then: Tour the place.
Edit, 2/26/09: It should be noted that I took the ai3 rendering of the new library without permission.
If you would, please discount that particular image from our Creative Commons license. My bad. I usually ask, and this time I neglected to. They do great work (truly), and their rendering should be considered separately from this issue.
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Amelia Trace Lerner
Program Director
Lain Shakespeare
Executive Director
7 Comments to Atlanta’s Central Library in Metropolis Magazine
It appears that someone’s been moonlighting! The things you learn on the Wren’s Nest blog!
I’m sure Amelia’s father is now finding out a lot about himself too, Laurie.
I have to say I disagree with you on this one Lain. I am all for preserving historical buildings, but just because something is old or “a great example of a style” doesn’t mean it should be saved. The fact is this design probably never should have been approved. To the common person, is this structure inviting and does it say “public library”. I would say not. Furthermore it is apparently not completely handicapped accessible. The elevators don’t even go to the top floor!
Disagreeing is encouraged, Deb! Keep it up.
I would certainly hope that any renovation efforts at the Breuer Library would include ADA compliance updates.
Brutalism often isn’t easy to swallow. All that concrete gets in the way. Ultimately I think the preservation of this building in its current capacity or otherwise will be a real boon for downtown Atlanta. It sure doesn’t have to be a library.
The article really says it all, but I’ll say it again: we have seen this all before. I was around when the gorgeous Carnegie Library was demolished to make way for the present “world class” library. Now, the present “world class” has to be kicked to the curb in favor of another “world class ” library…Geez!
The present library is a piece of quirky piece of architecture, to be sure. It is, however, the last work by a world-class architect. Moreover, it was meant to be “world class” library in its time…what happened?
Atlanta is such a profoundly stupid city when it comes to its history; what it can’t tear down, it renames. What other city would have proposed removing the name of the originator of its airport (Hartsfield) in favor of someone who only expanded it (Jackson.) Yeah, I said it!
Sometimes, Atlanta deserves to become the soul-less wonder it seems to be rushing to become!
The root of the issue is not to save a building, but the fact that its greatest current use is as a public toilet for the homeless population in the area.
Who in this discussion has even stepped foot in this architecturally significant City amenity? This building will only be significant if it’s use is reassessed. I say, let’s celebrate this wonderful building by giving it a program that supports future development of downtown.
I was there on Saturday and was totally turned off. Going inside the building is creepy. Nobody was browsing the stacks, just a handful of people actually reading. Most people were using the internet. The reading areas were in sad shape, just a some tables and chairs in front of the window, nothing comfortable looking. Oh, and its true about the homeless problem. But the staff don’t even clean up the front entrance, we were there and there was still cardboard bedding laid out in the plaza. Oh, i shouldn’t leave out the stab victim we encountered on our way into the building, they were nice enough to be picking up by ambulance when we were leaving. He could have bled to death in the time we were in the library. Thanks to the downtown concierge guys i guess he was ok. My conclusion is they need to clean up the streets down there, before they do anything. Then, if they ever get out of debt; they need to gut the building, and maybe even start fresh. That place as it stands now is not someplace to brag about, its a real #$%@ hole, and the people deserve better!