Janelle Irwin Taylor
The city of St. Petersburg is reopening the Barack Obama Main Library, with an official grand reopening and ceremonial ribbon cutting scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27.
“The reopening of the long-awaited President Barack Obama Main Library marks a proud moment for St. Petersburg,” Mayor Ken Welch said in an announcement. “I want to thank our City staff for their hard work in getting this project completed. This modernized space will serve as a resource for all who live, learn, and grow in our city, providing access to knowledge, technology, and opportunity for every member of the community.”
The ribbon cutting will take place at 9 a.m. at the library, located at 3745 9th Ave. N. At 10 a.m., the library will open to the public for the first time since closing in March 2021 for renovations. A series of delays and cost overruns delayed the project, including delays related to the COVID pandemic.
Originally estimated to cost $6 million when first announced in 2018, the St. Pete City Council has since approved nearly $16 million for the project.
The facility has since been used to train police dogs, an effort to abate vandalism that had plagued the building, including a spray-painted racial slur.
Now complete, the 40,000-square-foot library is fully modernized with new space for programming and community use. Amenities include extended hours, with the library open seven days a week from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
It also includes conference rooms, including the Obama Room and Small Conference Room for multipurpose community use. The auditorium will include new A/V capable equipment and can be used to host performances, presentations and other programming.
An on-site café will serve coffee, tea and snacks for purchase from local small businesses, while a bookstore will include a curated selection of donated books and library merchandise for purchase.
Public art will also be on display, including “Looking Out,” a large-scale installation made of hardwood veneer-core layers of dyed and natural wood with silver leaf, by artist Benjamin Butler. The piece evokes parallels between the natural water environment in Obama’s native Hawaii and the water surrounding St. Pete. It also includes a quote from the former President: “I spent my childhood on those shores, looking out over the endless ocean, and was humbled by it.”
Other features include innovate space with a STEAM-forward workshop complete with tools and equipment for local makers; a children’s space and program room; a teen room; a functional mezzanine with printers, computers and a computer lab, along with six study rooms; and a backup generator to support systemwide operations in the event of power loss.
“We’re so excited to welcome the community back to the President Barack Obama Main Library,” St. Pete Director of Libraries Beth Lindsay said. “This space has always belonged to the people of St. Pete, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience how it’s been reimagined for today’s needs and tomorrow’s possibilities.”
The building was originally built in 1963 by architect William Harvard, who also designed, or helped design, the Williams Park bandshell, the former inverted pyramid pier and multiple local churches, hotels and federal buildings.
