Demolition of Old Woodridge Library to Make Way for new $16.5 million State-of-the-Art Facility in 2015

2206 Rhode Island Ave, NE

From a press release:

“Mayor Vincent C. Gray and D.C. Public Library (DCPL) Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan celebrated the demolition of the old Woodridge Library. Both leaders praised the community’s involvement in the planning of the new Woodridge Library.

While the new Woodridge Library was being designed, DCPL representatives attended numerous neighborhood meetings to hear from the community what library services were most important. In addition, the architecture team of Wiencek + Associates and Bing Thom Architects attended four meetings hosted by the Friends of the Woodridge Library to review the designs.

The new Woodridge Library will open in 2015. It will be 20,000 square feet and feature separate spaces for adults, teens and children; 40,000 books, CDs, DVDs, and other library materials; comfortable seating for 200 customers; 40 public-access computers and free Wi-Fi Internet access; a large programming room for up to 100 people; and two conference rooms for up to 14 people. It will also be the first library to have a roof terrace that will also serve as a space for library programming.

During construction, the Woodridge Interim Library is operating three blocks south of the old library at 1790 Douglas Street NE. Updates on the construction of the new library will be shared with the public on the Woodridge Library construction blog.

Coakley Williams, Inc. and Blue Skye Development, LLC have partnered to build the new library under the Library’s Mentor-Protege program. Developed with the D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development, the program creates opportunities for smaller firms to gain experience working on government contracts. The total budget for design and construction is $16.5 million.”