On Dec. 1, the Louisville Main Public library will close for 12 months for renovations. The library located on York street sees over 400,000 visitors each year. It was built in 1906 and was updated, once, in 1969. This renovation will cost $8 million, reopen the third floor and add 16,000 square feet to the existing 154,000.
Two new public restrooms, new meeting and study rooms and an entrance on York street will also be added
The work began in February of 2025. Although city leaders wanted to leave the library available to the public, the contractors working on it have said it would be unsafe to keep it open to the public.
“I’m just thrilled that we’ll be able to reopen them [the library buildings] to the public in a new, even more beautiful, state,” Lowe said.
The week of Dec. 1 also marks the reopening of the Portland library, which has been under construction for the past two years. Other libraries around Louisville are planning to expand their hours during the closure.
Mayor Craig Greenberg reassured that no employees would lose their jobs. Thirty employees have already been relocated and will resume their previous positions at the main library once construction is finished.
“We’ll be opening a computer center on Brooke and Broadway, and so some of the staff will be over there assisting people who might have been coming to the library for computer access,” Heather Lowe, the newly appointed executive director of the Louisville Free Public Library, said.
Since the renovations are primarily to the first floor of the building, some employees whose offices are on the second and third floors will continue working through the renovations.
The library closing in December could cause major problems for some Louisville residents. In the colder months, people experiencing homelessness need somewhere to take shelter and use the restroom during the day. Many use the Main library to do so throughout the year, and, come December, will no longer have access to the library’s amenities.
Because of this, the office of social services donated one million dollars across seven organizations to expand resources for Louisvillians experiencing homelessness.
Lowe ensured that the closure of the library was inevitable for the protection of the public.
“For the safety of staff and the public, and to try to speed the project along as quickly as possible in the most cost effective manner, it will be closing,” Lowe said.
The renovations also will clear out space in the 1909 Carnegie building, previously unavailable to the public, and turn it into usable areas.
“To me, libraries really form the backbone of a strong community, and so I’m just honored to be shepherding this organization and people into the future,” Lowe said.
