Retrofit: Salem Public Library
Brutalist Library Becomes More Welcoming to the Community
August 7, 2023
The Salem Public Library’s downtown location was due for a renovation to bring its structural resilience and building systems up to modern standards. The 96,000-square-foot concrete structure was built in 1970 and underwent an expansion in 1990. When funding came through for seismic renovation, accessibility improvements and life-safety updates, the city and library saw a rare chance to address some of the additional challenges encountered by staff and library patrons in their aging concrete building and outdated spaces.
