Lifestyle

The BPL’s Copley location will finally debut renovations in July

The Johnson building at the Central Library underwent three years of upgrades.

A rendering of planned improvements to the Boston Public Library's Johnson Building. Courtesy/William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc.

By Kristin Toussaint

1 minute to read

The Boston Public Library’s Central location in Copley Square has been under construction for about three years while the Johnson building, built in 1972, has been undergoing renovations. Now, $78 million in upgrades later, the Central Library is set to have a grand reopening on Saturday, July 9.

Mayor Marty Walsh will commemorate the event with a 10:30 a.m. ribbon cutting. The first phase of the renovations, which included a Children’s Library and Teen Central spaces, opened in February 2015.

The second phase includes updates to the lower level, first floor, mezzanine, and the exterior of the Johnson Building, with addition such as new Mac and Windows computers for public use, an expanded Fiction section, tools to explore the BPL’s digitized collections, a new Welcome Center, and updated landscaping along Boylston Street.

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Boston, MA., 12/02/13, The exterior of the Boston Public Library, viewed from Boylston Street. When it opened in 1972, the Johnson Building of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square was hailed as a shining example of noted architect Philip Johnson?s modern design. But today, the granite hulk is considered cold and unwelcoming, inefficient and ugly. This month a $16 million renovation is beginning on the building at the corner of Boylston and Exeter Streets to make it more user-friendly. It is the first phase of a design that will ultimately include work throughout the Johnson Building.

The Johnson building before renovations.

Library patrons will have a brighter, better view of the city streets from inside the Johnson building since the granite plinths that covered the windows have been removed. There’s also a revamped lecture hall for author talks and other programming.

“The goal of the renovation was to reinvent both our building and our library services as inviting, dynamic, and modern, to be responsive to 21st century urban civic life and to strengthen the Central Library and its connection to the city,” said BPL President David Leonard in a statement. “We are proud to welcome everyone, from near and far, to celebrate a new era of library service in Copley Square.”

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The Central Library will be closed July 7 and 8 in preparation for the reopening on July 9. Learn more about the renovations here.

18BPLrenovations- A rendering of planned improvements to the Boston Public Library's Johnson Building near Copley Square. ()

A rendering of planned improvements to the Boston Public Library’s Johnson Building.

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