Fort Worth is moving forward with plans for a new downtown library after the City Council voted to purchase a 1.38-acre site off Summit Avenue for $5.95 million. The site will be cleared of dilapidated office buildings to make way for a 20,000- to 30,000-square-foot library with parking.

Library Plans

The city expects to build a two-story library, although the design phase will determine the final details. The parking will also be decided later, with options including a garage or surface parking. City staff proposed using a combination of funds, including remaining money from a previously planned renovation, bond sale proceeds, reserve funds, and a contribution from the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation’s capital campaign.

The city will engage with the public to gather input on the library, including online feedback, surveys, and in-person sessions. The property management department is working with the capital funding team to determine the timing for the engagement, bid, design, and construction stages.

The new library plan comes after the city sold the former Central Library building in May 2023 and closed the library in June of the same year. The city had initially planned to renovate a building on 4th Street as the next downtown library branch but decided against it due to the required renovations. Instead, the city will renovate the 4th Street building as a community arts incubator.

The city currently operates the Downtown Express Library, a temporary satellite library, at Old City Hall. The new library is expected to be smaller than the former Central Library, which was around 175,000 square feet. However, the new library’s size is based on facility planning and anticipated utilization for programs and services.

Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.