San Diego Central Library
The San Diego Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common is the main branch of the San Diego Public Library, which is a public library system serving the city of San Diego, California.
San Diego Central Library | |
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The building's exterior, 2013 | |
General information | |
Town or city | San Diego, California |
Country | United States |
Description and history
In 1952, the Carnegie library was demolished and a new Central Library was opened at the same location on June 27, 1954. That library closed permanently on June 9, 2013, to begin the 10-week process of transferring its 2.6-million-item collection to the new library.[1] Over the years, many branch libraries have also been opened throughout the City.
In 2010, construction began on a new US$184.9 million , 366,673 square feet (34,065 square metres)[2] Central Library at 330 Park Boulevard in downtown San Diego. This 9-story structure was designed by San Diego architect Rob Quigley. It is topped with an iconic steel-and-mesh lattice dome over a two-story rare-book reading room.[3] It opened on September 30, 2013.[1] The library displays numerous books and collections, including the second largest collection of baseball memorabilia in the U.S.[4]
The Central Library also houses a charter high school, e3 Civic High School, which is billed as the only school in the U.S. to be housed within a library. The school is located on the sixth and seventh floors of the library and is visible to, but not accessible by, the public. The school serves grades 9 through 12. It opened on September 3, 2013 with an initial student body of 260 ninth and tenth graders. Additional grades were added in 2014 and 2015 resulting in a student body of approximately 500.[5]
Awards
In 2013, the Central Library received several awards. It received the National Award for Excellence in Structural Engineering,[6] and the Decorative Concrete Council, a specialty council of the American Society of Concrete Contractors awarded the library "Best of Show".[7] The Central Library also received an Orchid Award from the San Diego Architectural Foundation's Orchids & Onions Awards.[8]
References
- Moran, Greg (June 10, 2013). "Downtown library checks out". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
- Facts About The New Central Library, San Diego Public Library
- Showley, Roger (January 19, 2013). "No flubs at library building site after 899 days". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- "San Diego's main library closes, clearing way for new one". CBS 8. June 9, 2013. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- Magee, Maureen (September 3, 2013). "Central-library charter school opens". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- "Central library gets engineering award". February 13, 2014. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017. Central Library gets engineering award
- "San Diego New Central Library - Best of Show!". February 18, 2013. Archived from the original on January 4, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2017. San Diego New Central Library – Best of Show!
- "San Diego Central Library – Orchids & Onions". orchidsandonions.org. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Diego Central Library. |
- San Diego Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common, City of San Diego