East Moline Public Library Addition & Renovation

Meeting Needs for Services

The project team worked closely with the East Moline Library Board, Director, and library staff to balance the need for increased public service, streamline operations, and guide prudent functional and financial decisions to determine how to best sustain library services for the next generation. It was determined during a series of design workshops that each of the programs would not only grow in square footage, but that the library wanted to provide a lot of other services and amenities to the community.  

A local downtown bank, located across the street from the existing library, stepped forward to donate their mid-century building to the library.   Now, this existing three-story building houses the children’s collection on the main floor with a teen room in the former vault where the teens can be more raucous.  The lower level includes a large divisible program room that can host a wide variety of community events.  On the mezzanine, there is a computer lab, meeting room, and digital collection.   Beyond those spaces, the building was expanded with a small addition that houses the adult collection in a one-story portion.  Sandwiched between the adult collection and existing building is a new three-story gasket that includes a new elevator, monumental terrazzo stair, and lobby.

The existing building’s mid-century aesthetic was retained to the greatest extent possible and includes terrazzo flooring and cream city brick.  Tall strip windows that run floor to ceiling flood the space with daylight that bleeds into the mezzanine spaces through expanses of glazing.  These elements of the existing building were used as a reference that drove the design of the addition.   The classic design elements were supplemented with rich stained wood

This former bank turned library has allowed the library to expand at this important downtown location and better serve its community.