Overview
Renovation project includes:
- Outdoor improvements to landscaping, sidewalks, exterior lighting, repaving parking lot, facade repair & restoration
- Interior improvements to the entrance, book return
- Upgrading elevator, restrooms, community room, flexible learning spaces, children’s area, shelving arrangement redesign
- Improved staff spaces
- Updating building systems including: life safety systems, improved HVAC, replacing existing boiler, installing surveillance and access control, electrical, lighting, IT, and communication systems
- Provide new interior finishes, furniture, fixtures, and signage
- Compliance with current ADA requirements
Designer: Studiotrope Design Collective
General Contractor: Interlock Construction Corp.
Address: 4501 W. 46th Avenue
Year opened: 1918
Last renovation: 1992
Square footage: 4,726 including basement
History
Built in 1918, the Smiley Branch Library is one of the original branch locations partially funded by the Carnegie Corporation and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The branch is named after William H. Smiley, Denver school teacher and superintendent who moved to the city in the 1880s and was known as “the grand old man of education in Colorado.” In 1980, it became home to the Northwest Denver Toy Library, which is run solely by neighborhood volunteers and offers toys and games for checkout with a library card. A 1992 renovation by David Owen Tryba Architects upgraded the interior, added an additional entrance on the north side of the building and addressed infrastructure maintenance
The branch was designed by library officials to be as “attractive as possible for the children of the neighborhood.” Its location in Berkeley Park was “intended for the special use of the large groups of children who play there daily, and who will skate there in the wintertime.” Today the branch serves a wide-variety of customers who rely on the branch’s close proximity to Berkeley Park and West Denver neighborhoods for their informational, recreational and cultural needs.
The Smiley Branch Library is designated as a Denver landmark as approved by the Denver Landmark Commission in 1989. The program is a public process that recognizes properties of historical, architectural and geographical importance to the City and County of Denver. To be eligible for designation, a structure must maintain its historic and physical integrity and meet criteria in two of three categories: history, architecture and geography.
The branch serves a diverse service area with families being a large percentage of its customers. Many own their homes and prefer living in an older established city neighborhood. The branch’s collection and programs reflect the interests and needs of the diverse neighborhood.
Community Input
Residents and staff gathered in July to provide feedback on the Berkeley Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Overwhelmingly, residents are concerned with the changing character of the neighborhood. With the popularity of Tennyson Street, the area has less of the quiet, intimate neighborhood feel that originally drew residents to the area. Many historic businesses that helped build the Highlands’ popularity as a destination neighborhood have now lost leases and closed. Traffic and parking have become problems in general.
Residents shared concerns for the library as well. Many use the branch as a place to pick up materials on hold and browse the collection. However, space in the building is limited which affects program attendance, especially for children’s Storytimes and summer programs that regularly draw record crowds. Many programs must be delivered outdoors and are subject to inclement weather. Building signage is not prominent and library staff often hear that residents do not know the building is a library but is mistakenly believed to be part of the Parks and Recreation facilities for Berkeley Park.