Burton Barr Central Library
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The Burton Barr Central Library is the central library in Phoenix, Arizona. It is the flagship location and administrative headquarters for the Phoenix Public Library.
Will Bruder was the design architect in association with Wendell Burnette and the Phoenix firm of DWL Architects; the library is Bruder's largest structure to date. The building incorporates a Buckminster Fuller tensegrity structure in its roof, and features motorized louvers on its south face for improved sun control (they never worked properly and were disconnected years ago). The only day they are functional is on the Summer Solstice, when they are manually closed for Bruder's annual presentation. The library is physically oriented for a display of sunlight alignment on equinox days.
The location opened in May 1995, and is 280,000 square feet (26,000 m²) on five stories. Most of the fifth floor is an open, one-acre (4,000 m²) reading room; the entire building is connected by a five-floor glass-and-steel elevator and stair well known as the "Crystal Canyon".
There are over 705,000 items in the collection. This building was funded by a 1988 bond issue, and replaced a nearby 1950's era facility on McDowell Road which is now part of the Phoenix Art Museum. The Central Library features 151 public computer terminals with Internet access, as well as WiFi capability.
The Travel Channel has ranked the bathrooms at the library as number one of the top ten outrageous bathrooms.[1]
In 2008, the Burton Barr Central Library was chosen as one of the Phoenix Points of Pride[2].
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