The J. Erik Jonsson Central Library is the Main Library Branch of the

Dallas Public Library The Dallas Public Library system serves as the municipal library system of the city of Dallas, Texas (USA). History In 1899, the idea to create a free public library in Dallas was conceived by the Dallas Federation of Women's Clubs, led by pre ...

system. It is located at 1515 Young Street in the Government District of

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by b ...

, directly across from

Dallas City Hall Dallas City Hall is the seat of municipal government of the city of Dallas, Texas, United States. It is located at 1500 Marilla in the Government District of downtown Dallas. The current building, the city's fifth city hall, was completed in 19 ...

About

The structure was built to replace the

Old Dallas Central Library The former Dallas Public Library, now known as Old Dallas Central Library, is a multi-level civic structure located at 1954 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas, Texas ( USA). It is located on the edge of the Farmers Market District and adjacent ...

. The new structure consists of ten stories, eight stories above ground floor and two below ground floor, designed in the

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

architectural style. The design of the nearby

inspired the design of the library – the library's upper floors are oriented ''away from'' Young Street while (symmetrically) the upper floors of City Hall are oriented ''toward'' Marilla Street (an open area between Young and Marilla Streets separates the buildings). It was named for J. Erik Jonsson, a founder of

Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globall ...

and mayor of Dallas, and long-time sympathetic supporter and patron of the library system. He also led the ten-year drive to raise private funds that allowed the construction of a state-of-the-art main library. During the 2000s the library embarked on a long-range renovation program which will reorganize each floor's layout, update interior finishes, repair maintenance issues and overall create a more inviting experience.

External links

J. Erik Jonsson Central Library websiteDallas Public Library System
Libraries in Dallas Downtown Dallas {{Texas-struct-stub

About

See also

External links