West End's Grand Opening 21 February 2007
Photographs
West End library Through the Years
- 1908-1909 Andrew Carnegie donated $10,000
for the design and
construction of the West End Library when West End was a
separate municipality from Birmingham.
- 1912 The West End Library opened on April
1. When the town of
West End was incorporated into the City of Birmingham, the
West End Library became the third branch of the
Birmingham Public Library.
- 1960 To replace the aging Carnegie
building, the City of
Birmingham approved a bond issue for $109,000 and hired
architects Turner and Batson to design a new library and
contractor Brice Building Company to construct it.
- 1962 On Sunday, December 9, the West End
Library officially
opened, complete with air-conditioning, 4,500 square feet
of space, separate departments for adults and children, a
meeting room for the public, a work room for the staff, and
an office for the librarian.
- 1997 The library replaced its original
heating and air-conditioning
system after 35 years of use.
- 2003 The Birmingham City Council accepted a
bid to build a new
$1.7 million West End Library. In September the library
broke ground two blocks away on a new site where the old
Masonic Temple had been destroyed by fire a few
years before.
- 2007 The Birmingham-based architect Khalil
Engineering and
contractor Eighteen Oaks completed the new library with a
meeting room large enough for 75 people, a conference
room, a new parking lot, and a clock tower above
the entrance.
In the first decade of the 20th century, the rapidly
expanding City of Birmingham took in the West End
community and the Birmingham Public Library adopted
the West End Library into the developing library
system. Following Avondale and Ensley, the
West End Library became the third branch and
the third Carnegie library in Jefferson County,
Alabama. This early library thrived during its 53
years of service to the community. The brick
structure typified the Carnegie style and
featured rich architectural details, including a
domed roof, Ionic columns at the entrance, a
pediment with a sculpture in relief, and an
intricate ornamental entablature.
In 1960 when the old 13th Street Carnegie
building had deteriorated beyond repair, the
City of Birmingham approved a bond issue to
fund a new library on the same site. This library
was rotated to face the broader and busier Tuscaloosa
Avenue. It was larger, had all the modern amenities that the
old building lacked, and could hold 22,500 books and other
library materials to accommodate its annual circulation
of 100,000.
In 2001 the Library Board and Administration chose an
architect to design a new library to be built in the 1400 block
of Tuscaloosa Avenue on the site of the old Masonic Temple.
The temple, built in the 1920s and later added to the
National Register of Historic Places, was destroyed in a fire
in 1996 on New Year's Day. While planning the contemporary
design of the new building, the architect and the library
sought to preserve some of the on-site ruins from the
historic Masonic structure. As a result of this effort, sections
of the temple's Doric columns are incorporated into the lamp
posts in the parking area and are also located in the historic
plaza that commemorates the temple. Featured in the plaza
are carved Masonic symbols that are remnants from the
temple's original stone frieze.
A domed roof tops the new 8,200 square foot library
building, and the clock tower at the entrance is certain to
become a community landmark. The library includes a
meeting room with space for 75 people, a smaller
conference room, restrooms that conform to ADA
regulations, a large foyer, and a circulation desk. The open
interior features new carpet, ultra-modern lighting, all new
furniture, including comfortable seating, tables, and shelves,
and more space for patrons and staff throughout the
building. Sparkling glass brick frames the circulation desk
and admits light through an adjacent wall.
Twice the size of the previous library's main area, the
octagon-shaped reading room provides an open, inviting
space for patrons and staff to work in and enjoy. The new
meeting room can accommodate large programs while
smaller gatherings can take place in the conference room.
The circulation desk provides workspace for the staff and
leads to the staff work room, the librarian's office, and the
staff kitchen and break area.
In 2007, after years of planning, the all-new West End
Library welcomes the community to a beautiful, state-of-
the-art building. The Birmingham Public Library opens these
new doors with appreciation and pride.
Patron and Staff Appreciation
The West End Branch Library thrives under the care and
attention of an enthusiastic and professional staff dedicated
to providing excellent service, programs, and materials to
the loyal and involved community it serves. The staff is
committed to the Birmingham Public Library's mission to
provide the highest quality library service and welcomes the
opportunity to serve the patrons who have entrusted them
with this responsibility.
Acknowledgments
The City of Birmingham
The Honorable Bernard Kincaid Mayor
The Birmingham City Council
Mrs. Carole Smitherman, President
Ms. Miriam Witherspoon, President Pro-Tem
Mr. Roderick Royal, Chair, Education Committee
Ms. Valerie A. Abbott
Mr. William Bell
Mr. Steven Hoyt
Mr. Joel Montgomery
Ms. Maxine Parker
Ms. Carol Reynolds
The Birmingham Library Board
Mrs. Lillie M. H. Fincher, President
Mrs. Gwendolyn B. Welch, Vice-President
Mr. Samuel S. Rumore, Jr, Parliamentarian
Mrs. E. Bryding Adams
Mr Thomas J. Adams, Jr.
Mrs. Nell Allen
Mrs. Shanta' Craig-Owens
Ms. Emily Norton
Mrs. Dora Sims
Mr. Jimmie S. Williams
Ms. Vickie Reynolds, Representative from the Mayor's Office
The Birmingham Public Library
Mrs. Barbara C. Simians, Director
Mrs. Renee Blalock, Associate Director
Mrs. Pamela 0. Lyons, Associate Director
West End Library Staff
Branch Head: Maya Jones
Library Assistant III: Denise Allen, Hugh Hardy, Jr.
Library Assistant II: Jokodrea Johnson
Library Assistant I: (Vacant)
Building Service Worker. Valerie Young
Volunteer: Janette Dallas
Architect: Khafra Engineers
Contractor: Eighteen Oaks
Interior Design: Margaret Jones Interiors
Program
Ceremonial Program starts at 10:30 a.m.
Presiding
Mrs. Lillie M.H. Fincher, President
Birmingham Library Board
Invocation
Leonard Gavin
Chaplain at Princeton Baptist Medical Center
Welcome
Mrs. Shelia Tyson, President
West End Community
Mrs. Nell Allen
Birmingham Library Board Member
Introduction of Board Members
Mrs. Lillie M.H. Fincher, President
Birmingham Library Board
Official Greetings
Bernard Kincaid, Mayor
City of Birmingham
Carole Smitherman, President
Birmingham City Council
Roderick Royal, Chair
Education Committee
Birmingham City Council
Recognition of Special Guests and Library Staff
Barbara C. Sirmans, Director
Birmingham Public Library
Closing Comments
Mrs. Gwendolyn Welch, Vice-President
Birmingham Library Board
Ribbon Cutting and Reception Immediately Following