Washburn Library

Washburn Library
The facade of the library across Lyndale Ave
Former names	Washburn Community Library
General information
Type	Branch library
Location	5244 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN
Opened	September 1970
Renovated	1990
Owner	Hennepin County Library System
Technical details
Floor area	18,965 square feet (1,762 m2)
Design and construction
Architect	Brooks Cavin
Renovating team
Renovating firm	Leonard Parker and Associates

Washburn Library, formerly Washburn Community Library, is a public library in the Hennepin County Library system. Opened in September 1970,^[1] Washburn Library, located at 5244 Lyndale Avenue South, began with a footprint of 14,451 square feet (1,342.5 m²) and approximately 18,000 books. Designed by Brooks Cavin, an architect who studied under Walter Gropius and Eero Saarinen, Washburn reflected mid-century modernism.^[2] Set near Minnehaha Creek, Washburn meets the needs of Southwest Minneapolis in a picturesque neighborhood.

Patron traffic quickly rose and broke all records: to meet demand, library staff requested other branches to share their materials. Phonograph albums and children's books were particularly popular.^[3] In the first year of service, Washburn circulated 273,000 books, higher than any other Minneapolis Public Library branch at the time.

Named for William D. Washburn, who was a founder of Washburn-Crosby Milling Company, and a United States Senator, Washburn Library's public art includes a millstone, honoring Minneapolis' heritage as a grain milling center in the 19th and 20th centuries.^[4] The Washburn-Crosby Milling Company is now known as General Mills.^[5]

Updates to the library

Washburn Library soon after opening in 1970

Approaching its 20th anniversary in 1989, the Washburn branch needed to be expanded and updated to meet patrons' needs. The community it served had expanded, including more children living in the neighborhoods, and demand was bustling for materials.^[6] In fact, it was the busiest of Minneapolis's 14 neighborhood branch libraries.

In 1990, Minneapolis Public Library leadership determined that the library was in need of significant remodeling and approved an expanded footprint of 18,965 square feet, a 28% increase. In serving the neighborhoods of Lynnhurst, Kenny, Armatage, Tangletown, Windom, Field, Page, Hale and Diamond Lake, it was noted in particular that significant after-school use by children warranted improving services and spaces for their use. The space needed to better meet the needs of the community's patrons: deferred maintenance needed to be performed on the building, and technology upgrades were overdue. Leonard Parker and Associates were chosen to develop the plans.^[7]

In 2014, a six-week long update to the building resulted in an open floor plan, more space for children and teens, new furniture and shelves, including technology tables for the public computers, and more electrical outlets for powering portable electronics.^[8]

Art at the library

Joining the millstone in the external landscape, the update to the Washburn added a sculpture by Ann Wolfe, Mother and Child, and a large and bright whimsical mural by In Virginia Bradley on the domed ceiling of the children's area.^[9]

References