The Cleveland Public Library Board of Trustees will announce the winning design for the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch following a special board meeting on June 15, 2018.
The forthcoming announcement will conclude the Library’s international design competition for a new Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch in the University Circle neighborhood. The competition, which was funded by a $93,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation, attracted dozens of entries from architecture firms eager to design an iconic library space that also honors Dr. King’s legacy.
The three design teams selected as finalists—MASS Design Group and LDA Architects, SO-IL and JKURTZ Architects, and Bialosky Cleveland and Vines Architecture—offered public presentations of their designs on May 10.
“Our Board, staff, and community members alike found each of the proposed designs impressive. We now face an important decision that will impact the University Circle community, our patrons, and our Library for years to come,” explains Felton Thomas, Jr., Executive Director and CEO of Cleveland Public Library. “With that in mind, we want to ensure we take the time while choosing the design that will best represent both the Library and Dr. King’s legacy.”
To view the proposed designs, please read “Cleveland Public Library Unveils 3 Competing Proposals for New MLK Library in University Circle.” Cleveland Public Library will determine the winner during a special June 15 meeting of the Cleveland Public Library Board of Trustees, which will be held at noon in the Board Room on the 10th floor of the Louis Stokes Wing at 525 Superior Avenue.
The design competition selection and advisory committees include:
Selection Committee
- Felton Thomas, Jr., Executive Director and CEO, Cleveland Public Library
- Toni Parker, District Manager and MLK, Jr. Branch Manager, Cleveland Public Library
- Alan Seifullah, Cleveland Public Library Board of Trustees
- Eric Herman, Cleveland Public Library Capital Projects Manager
- Chris Ronayne, University Circle Inc.
Advisory Committee
- Lillian Kuri, Cleveland Foundation
- Debbie Berry, University Circle Inc.
- Khrystalynn Shefton, Famicos Foundation
- Denise VanLeer, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation
- Irwin Lowenstein, ReThink Advisors
- Dionne Broadus, Case Western Reserve University
- Diane Davis Sikora, Kent State University
- Jeffrey Strean, Cleveland Museum of Art
- Chris Nance, Greater Cleveland Partnership
- Christopher Connell, Cleveland Clinic
The current Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch, located at 1962 Stokes Boulevard, will remain open and continue serving the community until the new branch is complete.