The Cedar Rapids Public Library opened a location in downtown for the first time in a year. I was very pleased as my use of the library dropped off without one, and the library was an important part of the downtown.
The fact that they opened the location in the Armstrong building made me think. Why is the city looking to build a new library when there are so many vacancies downtown? Wouldn't a commercial store front, or an office space serve the needs of a library just as well as a custom build building?
I would think a partnership like that would serve both parties well, the library would benefit from existing infrastructure, parking is available (especially after 5 and on weekends), there is as much bus access as Cedar Rapids will currently provide, and a location in the core of downtown would allow the library to better benefit from the numerous events in downtown. The surrounding area would benefit by the increased draw outside of the Monday-Friday, nine-five time slot.
With a large amount of the Linn County government currently located in previous retail space, I'm surprised that I haven't heard similar discussions about the Library's permenent downtown location.
A secondary argument can be the environmental impact. Alliant Energy has spent a lot of money putting up billboards with the message "Rebuild green," which is a good message (as much as I hate the term "green"). But it overlooks the most enviromentally friendly option, not building new at all, simply work with what we currenlty have, and we currently have a lot of empty office and retail space in the downtown.
The Armstrong building is so called, because it used to be a department store (Armstrong's department store), which has since closed and been turned into retail and office space. If the library were to have a large location in it (or a similar building), people going to the library would be more inclined to go to a store or restaurant as the walk past, and we might actually have a chance to recreate a vibrant commercial area in downtown Cedar Rapids.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Great idea! I never would have thought of it, but the Armstrong Center would be perfect for the library and the downtown businesses. Silly FEMA criteria.
ReplyDeleteI like your ideas about reusing / reinvigorating buildings we already have downtown. A mixed use library building would be really nice. However I would prefer a brand new library building now that we have the opportunity for large financial assistance from FEMA, and I'm guessing other grants will come along too. Based on how large the old downtown library was, I'm not sure there are any buildings large enough in the downtown core to hold the main branch library.
ReplyDeleteBut going with your thoughts on a mixed-use building, what if the library constructs a brand new building in / near downtown (I've heard thoughts about putting it near Greene Square park) and including addition space that could be rented out to businesses for offices and retail storefronts. Now instead of the library being a tenant inside, say, the Armstrong Centre, the Library would be the owner and could utilize rental space for long term income generation.
A terrific example of this is the Iowa City Public Library that was built a few years ago on the Ped Mall in downtown. Half of the ground floor is rented out to retail / restaurant businesses. This adds even more activity and vibrancy to the ped mall, instead of just a large single use building. It also generates income for ICPL.
Either way, nice to see another rational, forward thinking blog on the web about post-flood Cedar Rapids.