What follows is my email to Fulton County leaders in regard to the plan to abandon the Marcel Breuer building and build a smaller Central Library elsewhere in Downtown Atlanta. Please join me in writing about this important issue.

The Central Library of Downtown Atlanta — the final work of architect Marcel Breuer

To: john.eaves@fultoncountyga.gov, liz.hausmann@fultoncountyga.gov,

bob.ellis@fultoncountyga.gov, lee.morris@fultoncountyga.gov,

joan.garner@fultoncountyga.gov, marvin.arrington@fultoncountyga.gov, emma.darnell@fultoncountyga.gov

Hi All,

I’m very distressed to read that there’s a plan to abandon the current Central Library building of AFPL and construct a smaller building downtown.

Central Library has been underfunded and understaffed for a long time — not given a chance to succeed. This despite the fact that last year’s stats for AFPL usage show Central has the highest events attendance in the system and the highest gate count! Why downsize?

Instead of spending money on a small new branch and leaving an empty building behind on a key intersection of the city, leaders should fund renovation of the current building.

For the same amount of money, we get more building and less dead space from parking. Credit: Kyle Kessler

If the current building gets renovated:

1.) The library stays beside a MARTA rail entrance + the 110 bus line, providing easy transit access not only to users but to staffers.

2.) The Atlanta library for the blind & its talking-book recording studio (on the 4th floor) gets to keep its office instead of public money having to be spent on renting new space for them elsewhere — not an insignificant sum.

3.) We don’t end up bringing a lot more cars into a downtown that already has too much parking capacity and too many cars, wasting the potential for transit use and walkability.

4.) There’s a chance to provide innovative new services to the larger future downtown population!! 400 Post apartments are currently being built downtown, another 100 are planned near that project, and Underground Atlanta’s sale is due to be completed in a few weeks according to WSB — and new apartments will be built there by the new owner. Why downsize the library in the face of this growing population??

5.) We don’t leave an abandoned building in a key intersection of downtown Atlanta

Clearly the most cost-effective and forward-thinking plan is to renovate the new library!

Thanks,

Darin Givens