Group 4 has transformed Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library’s 75-year old Main Library into a welcoming, flagship destination adapted to the next 75 years of library service. Updates to the plaza, atrium, and interior of the existing mid-century South Building are part of the first phase of enacting recommendations laid out in Group 4’s 2019 Facilities Master Plan. A 2018 voter-approved levy is funding both the Main Library as well as reinventions across the entire 41 branch library system.

At Main, this generational investment in reinventing the two-block long, seven-story mid-century modern library has transformed how the community can gather downtown. As visitors approach, the library now features two lively civic plazas that connect seamlessly to the both the Central Business District and downtown neighborhoods. These gathering spaces are dynamically illuminated by a new site-specific series of light sculptures, welcoming visitors day and night.

Within the library, the centerpiece of the renovation is a stunning, daylit atrium, complete with a social stair that can be utilized for both for community events and informal gathering. This stair serves as the foundation for a new custom art-glass staircase that naturally draws library users to the upper floors of the building. Enhanced by the new skylight, the art glass guardrails are composed of 1,602 individual musical recordings that reflect Cincinnati’s musical heritage, which are in turn color-coded to 31 genres from Classical to funk and contemporary music.

This dynamic reinvention invites exploration of new spaces on the upper levels of the building. Additionally, the updated first and second floor interior spaces now include a new Cincinnati Storytime Center, a new children’s area and playspace, multiple, divisible meeting rooms, and a new teen area, making the library a vibrant hub for all ages. This renovation marks a new chapter for the Main Library, ensuring its continued vital role within the community.