Central Library Main Floor Remodel (2019-2020)

Thanks to capital investments supported by former Mayor Kelli Linville and the City Council in the 2019-2020 biennial budget, the Bellingham Public Library and the Public Works department remodeled the main floor of the Bellingham Central Library beginning in 2019. The building reopened to the public in 2021.

The Central Library downtown is the largest Bellingham Public Library facility as well as the Library’s administrative and operations center, all housed in a 1950s-era building that saw its previous major renovation in 1985.

The interior work on the nearly 20,000 square-foot main floor included:

providing additional public spaces and a more open concept
new carpet, paint, ceiling tiles, and LED lighting
incorporating new, more efficient book-handling technologies
improvements to the fire alarm panel
a rebuild of the passenger elevator
adding two public restrooms, and
improvements to the library loading dock.

The interior remodel of the main floor was outlined in an assessment of the Central Library completed in 2018 by RMC Architects. Library leaders expect this project to be the first of several sequential improvements to the existing building and site, including examining options to increase library space.

For more information about the project, please contact the Library Administration.

FAQ

City and library leaders have long recognized Central Library services have outgrown the building’s current space and configuration. Plans more than a decade ago envisioned seeking public support to construct a new Central Library downtown. Since then, community economic realities and commitments to making effective use of existing buildings and properties caused city and library leaders to pursue updating rather than replacing the Central Library. Recent studies have determined that the Central Library building is sound and able to be successfully remodeled and/or expanded. A multi-phase approach is outlined in an assessment completed in 2018 by RMC Architects. Library leaders expect to pursue additional building improvements, and possible expansion, over several budget cycles.