Louisville’s Parkland neighborhood has been without a public library branch since the 1980s, when the neighborhood’s Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) branch shut its doors. Now, nearly 40 years and $6.5 million later, the community space is opening its doors once again.
The branch’s grand reopening will be on Thursday, February 27 at 10:30 a.m., with Mayor Craig Greenberg and members of the Metro Council + Library foundation on hand.
The Parkland library first opened at the corner of 28th Street and Virginia Avenue in 1908 as part of numerous new library branches funded by Andrew Carnegie, the late 19th-century industrialist and philanthropist.
Bonus: It opened the same year as the Western Branch library moved to its permanent home. The Western Branch was the first Black-run public library in the nation.
The branch closed in 1986 amid budget cuts, and the community has been without a library branch since. But now, thanks to a major capital project by the LFPL Foundation, Parklanders can start checking out once again.
In Parkland, 28% of the of the 21,289 households don’t own a car — so there was a major need for a local local library.
The new $6.5 million project included a full renovation of the original library space, plus a 3,000-sqft modern addition and an added makerspace + elevator. Here’s what the Parkland Library expects to offer the community in the first year after completion:
- 35,000 visits
- 20,000 circulation items
- 3,000 program attendees
- 10,000 computer sessions
The fun really begins on Saturday, March 1 with a Family Fun Day running 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Ring in the branch’s return with free activities, performances, and giveaways.
