Carnegie Library Downtown Branch to Close for Renovations Saturday, March 7

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) is building a destination library for the thousands of people who live, work, study, shop and visit Downtown Pittsburgh. In order to serve the growing needs of the area, CLP will begin expansion on its Downtown location at 612 Smithfield Street beginning with the closing of the current branch on Saturday, March 7.

When completed, the building will reopen with 68% more square footage, increasing from a 12,709 square foot footprint to 21,390 square feet, in order to meet the demand for expanded programming spaces for children, teen and adults.

The proposed design is a two-story structure and includes dedicated spaces for large Children’s and Teen areas, each with their own programming spaces that encourage creative learning; a large and medium meeting room with PC class capabilities to support the region’s workforce; and four small meeting rooms for studying, co-working and partner client meetings. The $6M capital improvements also include updating the building’s heating, air conditioning, lighting and electrical systems to provide a comfortable and welcoming indoor space for 1,000 visitors a day.

In order to make these much-anticipated improvements, CLP – Downtown will close at 5 pm on Saturday, March 7. Construction is expected to continue through the end of 2020.

Pop-Up Library

While construction is underway, CLP plans to open a 300 square feet express service Pop Up location at 623 Smithfield Street (between Port Authority and Steel City Clothing, just across the street from the Library’s current Downtown location) on Monday, March 9 for patrons to pick up and drop off materials. Open 11 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday, the Pop Up will house a small bestseller collection and maintain three public service computers for printing needs (15 minutes of use per patron). Library staff will maintain a presence in the community and continue outreach efforts to schools, daycares and community organizations.

“Downtown is a thriving neighborhood with an eye on the future, and we’re excited to build a library to meet the current and future needs of this unique community,” said Holly Anderton, Library Services Manager for CLP – Downtown. “We want to improve the visitor experience by creating a vibrant destination space that welcomes a customer base that has always reflected the diversity of our region, and one which includes families, seniors, students, commuters and visitors. The new Downtown library aims to have something for everyone.”

All reference material regarding business research and company histories are now housed at CLP – Main in Oakland. Patrons inquiring about stock quote information and securities valuation are encouraged to call the Library’s Job and Career Education Center at (412) 622-3133.