On August 15, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in North Carolina, USA, hosted its Main Library demolition celebration event to prepare for the new construction. The demolition process is expected to be completed this winter, with the new Main Library projected to open in the spring of 2026.
“We wanted to celebrate this demolition to mark the start of a new beginning in Uptown Charlotte,” CML CEO Marcellus Turner said. “From the café to the community living room and the technology hub to the destination reading room, the new Main Library will be an inviting place to learn, grow and engage with others in our community.”
Sited at the intersection of two main arteries, the library is located at the center of the rapidly changing North Tryon corridor and occupies a significant location in Charlotte’s geography and cultural history. Settled by the British in 1768, the city emerged along the contours of a ridgeline, which supported a rich history of trading paths that were first carved out by the Indigenous inhabitants of the Piedmont region and would then become modern-day Tryon Street. Building on the site’s topographical history, the design draws on the concept of the ridgeline literally and figuratively: it generates views in a variety of directions and as a convergence point for community and culture.
Rising five stories, the building anchors the corner with a glowing, translucent prow that cantilevers out over the sidewalk, opening itself up to the street.
Helming a public library system comprised of 21 branch libraries that welcomes 3.4 million visitors each year, the 115,000 square-foot new space will allow Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to embrace its mission to become more than just a Library, but also serve as a public commons. Supported by funding from Mecklenburg County and a major investment by the Knight Foundation, the new, technologically-advanced library is a signal investment in a culture of making, thinking, and doing that is deeply tied to its people and its place.
"Libraries are more popular today than they have ever been, serving a wider range of needs than access to books only,” says Craig Dykers, founding partner of Snøhetta. “Charlotte’s new library will lead the way in showing how a city and its core of knowledge can be open, welcoming, and intriguing for decades to come."
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Press release and images courtsey of Snøhetta
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