Revealed: How a Texas town turned an abandoned Walmart into a massive, award-winning public library (it's a good read!)



When the enormous Walmart on North 23rd Street in McAllen, Texas, decided to move to another location, it left a massive opportunity behind.



At more than 124,000 square feet, the city opted to turn the superstore's shell into a public library, stocking the shelves with thousands of books instead of sundries.



The extensive redesign of the space has also earned the structure its first awards, taking home top place at the national Library Interior Design Awards.



Treasure: When the enormous Walmart on North 23rd Street in McAllen, Texas, decided to move to another location, it left a massive opportunity behind

Storytelling: At more than 123,000 square feet, the city opted to turn the superstore's shell into a public library, stocking the shelves with thousands of books instead of sundries

'The primary challenge of reusing the building was to create a highly functional, flexible library of 124,500 square feet on a single level,' the designers at Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. write on their website .

'This area is equivalent to nearly 2 1/2 football fields, making the new library the largest single-story library in the U.S.'

The undertaking was no small task, as the vast open space made it difficult to delineate the different areas of the new McAllen Public Library.



Relying on colors, lighting, and specially designed furniture, they turned an open, desolate warehouse into a thriving community center.



Wow: The extensive redesign of the space has also earned the structure its first awards, taking home top place at the national Library Interior Design Awards Vision: A laser-cut wood wall at the entry folds into a ceiling plane that runs the length of the building, forming a central service spine that guides patrons through the quadrants

Challenge: The undertaking was no small task, as the vast open space made it difficult to delineate the different areas of the library

'Primary program areas—including community meeting rooms, the children’s library, adult services, and the staff area—are located in quadrants of the building,' the designers explain.



A laser-cut wood wall at the entry folds into a ceiling plane that runs the length of the building, forming a central service spine that guides patrons through the quadrants.

Design: Relying on colors, lighting, and specially designed furniture, they turned an open, desolate warehouse into a thriving community center

Attraction: Within the first month following the opening, new user registration increased by 23 per cent

Creative: The children's area was inspired by the Fibonacci Series, a spiral that the designers say mimics the growth pattern in children

The children's area was inspired by the Fibonacci Series, a spiral that the designers say mimics the growth pattern in children.



There is also a 'spy cave' known as area 3918, which is an acoustically separated area that serves as a popular teen hangout.



The incredibly innovative design took home top prize at the annual national Library Interior Design Awards, winning the title for Best Overall and Best of Category (Public Libraries Over 30,000 SF).



Within the first month following the opening, new user registration increased by 23 per cent.



Shhh: There is also a 'spy cave' known as area 3918, which is an acoustically separated area that is a popular teen hangout