Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

The city's previous central library, in Mount Vernon Square, was donated by industrialist Andrew Carnegie and dedicated in 1903.

A 1961 Booz Allen Hamilton report sponsored by the city government found that the library had become inadequate in size and technology, was located in what was now the city's "worst slum", and that "At any hour of the day or night, a collection of derelicts loaf around the Library and sleep on the curved bench in front." It called for a new library downtown, at an estimated cost of $12 million.^[2]

Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the 400,000 square foot (37,000 m²) steel, brick, and glass structure, an example of modern architecture, in Washington, D.C. This library was Mies's only public library, and his only building constructed in Washington, D.C. ^{[citation needed]}

The building was completed in 1972 at a cost of $18 million. By the early 2000s, years of deferred facility maintenance had become widely apparent.^[3]

On June 28, 2007, the District of Columbia's Historic Preservation Review Board designated the building a historic landmark. The designation, which applies to the exterior as well as interior spaces, seeks to preserve Mies' original design while allowing the library the necessary flexibility to operate. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.^[4]

 

The building's lobby includes a large mural of Martin Luther King Jr. created by artist Don Miller.

Mecanoo architecture firm was selected to renovate the library, starting on March 4, 2017. The renovation cost $211 million, and the library reopened in 2020 after 3½ years.^[5][6] The entire interior was completely redone, and included a new auditorium, dance studio, recording studios, tool library, offices, and a rooftop garden.^[7][8][9]

When the library reopened, with limited services, after the renovation the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting the United States. The library closed again following a phased management of the pandemic. It was a center for COVID-19 testing and distribution of masks as a contribution in the city's management of COVID-19,^[10][11] while providing some library services.

The library follows accessibility regulations in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA):

• Doors and elevators wheelchair accessible on every floor.
• One Topaz HD magnifier that allow users with impaired vision to read documents with fonts in the size most convenient from them. It includes a brightness dial, a magnification dial, a color dial, and its ergonomic design allows the screen's height and orientation. A tray allows smooth movement of the texts, and the lock button can be used to read, hold or write documents.^[12][13]
• ADA computers for persons with visual impairment or physical disabilities.
• Four wide elevators for patrons, and elevators for staff use.
• One public toilet for each gender on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th floors, and two family restrooms with baby changing stations located in the 5th floor.
• Air conditioning to cool the library in summer, heat pumps to warm it in winter, and ventilation on every floor.

• Lighting designed for reading.^[14]
• Two sets of stairs at the front of the building, and two at the back, for routine use and as fire exits.

The Washingtoniana collection includes books, newspaper archives, maps, census records, and oral histories related to the city's history, with 1.3 million photographs from the Washington Star newspaper and the theatrical video collections of the Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive.^[15]

The Black Studies Center was established along with the MLK Library in 1972 to collect documents related to the African diaspora focusing on African American culture.^[15]

In the summer of 2023, the library showed 12 original drawings by Leonardo da Vinci from the 1400s and 1500s until August 20, 2023, in a free exhibit entitled Imagining the future - Leonardo da Vinci: In the mind of an Italian genius.

A 291-person state-of-the art auditorium on the fifth floor is used for hosting live performances, lectures, and film screenings, including performances by the National Museum of the United States Navy's band,^[16] and Wolf Trap Opera's world premiere of BORN FREE by Edward W. Hardy.^{[17][18][19][20]}

The DC Public Library Foundation (DCPLF) received a $2.7 million donation from Jeff Bezos to support Beyond the Book, the extension of Books From Birth; one of the DC Public Library's most important and beloved literacy programs for young children. Bezos’ donation was the largest ever received by the foundation.^[21] It was suggested that the auditorium be named after Bezos,^[22] but this was criticised by council members including Charles Allen and D.C.'s shadow representative to Congress Oye Owolewa.^[23]

The terrace and gardens are on the fifth floor, surrounding the Auditorium. There is a garden with a view of a section of Chinatown and G, H and 9th streets. There are covered seating areas for use even in inclement weather.^[24][25][26]

In June 2007 the DC Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) designated the building exterior, enclosure, and the interior public spaces on the ground floor as a historic landmark; it is in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites. In the same year, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.^[27]

• District of Columbia Public Library
• Martin Luther King Jr.
• Library of Congress
• List of memorials to Martin Luther King Jr.
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

 

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• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library