The Wichita Central Library is a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

building in

Downtown Wichita Downtown Wichita is the central business district of Wichita, Kansas, United States. The political and financial hub of the city, it is home to several of the area's major landmarks and event venues including the Epic Center, Century II Perform ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. It operated from 1967 to 2018, replacing the

Wichita City Carnegie Library Building The Wichita City Carnegie Library Building located at 220 S. Main Street in Wichita, Kansas, Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, is a Carnegie library built in 1915. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places The Nationa ...

and replaced by the

Wichita Public Library The Wichita Public Library is the local public library system in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It consists of a central library located downtown and six branch locations distributed throughout the city. Locations Four district/regional branches ...

system's Advanced Learning Library. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2020. The library is the first Brutalist-style building constructed in Kansas, and the first of the style in the state nominated to the National Register.

Attributes

The library building was designed in the

Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...

style by Schaefer Schirmer & Eflin Architects, predecessor to Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey. It was their breakthrough project, and the firm quickly became the most revered architects in Kansas. The Brutalist style was popular for public buildings in the 1960s, and became especially prominent with the construction of

Boston City Hall Boston City Hall is the seat of city government of Boston, Massachusetts. It includes the offices of the mayor of Boston and the Boston City Council. The current hall was built in 1968 to assume the functions of the Old City Hall. It is a cont ...

around the same time as the library building. The structure is functional and plain, with a solidity to convey the importance of literacy. Its vertical beams resemble books on a shelf, reminding viewers of the building's purpose. Unlike many Brutalist buildings, a significant portion of the structure is made of glass, making the space inviting and open. The cruciform-shaped building replaces the

, still extant across Main Street. The Brutalist building has a four stories, including a basement, main level, mezzanine, and upper level. It has .

History

The building was designed from 1962 to 1963 and constructed from 1965 to 1967. It won a design award from the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

and

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

in 1968. By 2015, city officials began planning a new downtown library, calling the Brutalist facility too dated to meet the library's current operations. As of 2015, the building's fate was unclear. Proposals were released to demolish the library and adjacent Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center to create a separate new convention center and performing arts center. In 2020, city residents successfully nominated the building to the

, against the wishes of city officials and developers. The library is the first Brutalist-style building constructed in Kansas, and the first of the style in the state nominated to the National Register. From February 2021 to April 2022, the building held a county-operated

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

clinic.

References

External links

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National Register nomination form
{{National Register of Historic Places in Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Wichita, Kansas Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas Library buildings completed in 1967 Modernist architecture in Kansas Buildings and structures in Wichita, Kansas 1960s architecture in the United States Brutalist architecture in the United States Government buildings completed in 1967 Government buildings in Kansas

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History

See also

References

External links