Norman Oder

A Mixed Review for Houston's Central Library Revamp
June 23, 2008

Houston Chronicle critic Lisa Gray has mixed feelings about the two-year, $17 million renovation of the Houston Public Library's Central Library, writing: "The library can't compete with the retail establishments it emulates — not with Starbucks, not with Borders. The renovation makes Central pleasant but not thrilling — a satisfying place to drop in if you're already downtown."

(Photos from HPL's Flickr photostream.)

Gray continues, "In other words, I could afford to go somewhere that feels more like a place than the library manages to — someplace with a mix of open spaces and quiet nooks, rather than the library's wide-openness, someplace quietly bustling, pleasantly packed with people and life." She allows that things might changed, but points out that a library system underfunded compared to peer libraries doesn't necessarily have the money to produce pizzazz.

New at the library

The project included updating IT infrastructure, a rebuilt plaza, and an expansion and enhancement of children’s and teen’s services. An additional 12,600 square feet were made available for public use. New are the Careers, Opportunities, Resources, and Education Center (C.O.R.E.) and a World Languages and Immigration Resource Center, as well as a cafe and gift shop.

In the plaza, the Claes Oldenburg red sculpture, Geometric Mouse X, was placed on a new foundation and artist Kirk Baxter created some new civic art on the Central Library Plaza. A light sculpture will debut in the fall. Exhibits will be curated by the Houston Arts Alliance. The building opened in 1976 and this was its first major renovation. New lunchtime, evening, and weekend programming accompanies the library's new look.

Posted by Norman Oder on June 23, 2008 | Comments (0)