The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Main Library reopens Friday. It's been undergoing renovations including new at-grade entrances, updated meeting rooms and interactive areas for kids and teens, as well as an energy retrofit and roof replacement.
The total project was estimated at $43.4 million.
A reopening celebration is set for July 12-14. Events include a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, guided tours, pickleball, crafts, story times, .
"We are thrilled to be welcoming the community back to the fully Opened main library. It is a transformative generational change that will reinforce the main library as a destination for minds of all kinds," Director Paula Brehm-Heeger tells WVXU. "We are in a great spot along the backbone of downtown to contribute to the ongoing development of the area, from The Banks to Fountain Square up to OTR."
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The South Building closed in 2021 for renovations. Work done there includes replacing the skylights and elevators, and a redesigned plaza. The building's 1950s-era energy systems — heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) and electrical systems — were retrofitted in 2020.
The work is part of the library system's , designed to update and improve facilities across the county. Renovations and improvements are continuing at several branch locations, too. Voters approved a one-mill levy in 2018 to fund work at many of the 41 locations.
