The Transformation of the Boston Public Library’s Roxbury Branch

Additional fee, registration required.

Join us to see the AIA COTE Top Ten Award–winning Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library, located in Nubian Square, the historic heart of Boston's Black community. 

This tour will focus on the modernization of the mid-century modernist Kallmann McKinnell Wood building. The project transformed the structure from a closed-off introvert into an extroverted participant in the neighborhood's public realm. 

Learn about key enhancements, including replacing its glass block facade with a timber storefront, mullions tuned to improve daylighting conditions, integrating community-oriented art, and creating a new plaza and entrance that house the library's African American collection.
 

Learning Objectives

1. Discover how structuring a strong project narrative around sustainability, equity, and community connectivity as part of a robust community engagement process can help preserve mid-century landmarks.
2. Gain insight into how daylight and shade modeling informed the design of the new timber storefront.
3. Learn how the design and Boston Public Library client teams strategized the repositioning of the building within the broader public realm.
4. See how the integration of signature features, from public art to a prominently located African American collection, helped refocus the project's programming strategy on creating a more welcoming environment.

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