Auburn Avenue Research Library Slated for Massive Revamp

March 20,2013

Downtown's Auburn Avenue Research Library is undergoing a $14 million renovation scheduled to start in late 2013. The construction is expected to take between 12 and 14 months, and the library will be closed during renovations. During the renovation, the library collections and staff will be temporarily located at the Central Library at One Margaret Mitchell Square.

The renovation is part of a $275 million Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System-wide building program funded by a library bond referendum approved by Fulton County voters in 2008.

The project is divided into two phases. Phase I of the Library Building Program consists of 10 projects, 8 new libraries – Alpharetta, East Roswell, Milton, Northwest Atlanta, Palmetto, Southeast Atlanta, Stewart-Lakewood and Wolf Creek – and 2 expanded libraries – Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History and South Fulton – with a total budget of $167 million; these dollars include everything from design and construction to funding for collections.  

The Auburn Avenue Research Library project is mainly an interior renovation, but does include a small expansion to the rear of the building to accommodate a new 240 seat auditorium on the ground floor. A gift shop and café will also be added to the library's first floor. JWRA/Freelon, a joint venture comprised of J. W. Robinson & Associates and Freelon Group, Inc., is the architectural and engineering team leading the project.