Denton Public Library North Branch
Denton, Tex.
Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle Ltd. (MS&R)

Supermarket gets an extreme makeover... library style

© Pete Sieger of MS&R

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

MS&R made over an abandoned Food Lion grocery store into a new branch library for the Denton Public Library System in Denton, Texas. The existing building, with its imposing structure and vast concrete parking lot, had disrupted the neighborhood′s charm. The architects erased all memories of its former life as a grocery store, allowing it to harmonize with the context of the community.

Leaving the building′s existing footprint unchanged, MS&R reconfigured the site to provide a new foreground for the building that better fits its new incarnation. They removed roughly 75 parking spaces to create space for trees and a xeriscape (a garden, designed to conserve water, comprised of drought-resistant plants). This new green zone creates a pedestrian–friendly environment that compliments the building′s new function, and helps connect the site to the surrounding neighborhood and an adjacent park.

Planes and volumes inserted into the building envelope enhance its aesthetic appeal while helping to break apart the overall mass. A new glass curtainwall along the west facade, composed of both translucent and transparent glazing, creates a scrim that softens its look and adds a level of intrigue about what goes on inside. Linear strip windows frame views along the other facades, while a new entry canopy guides patrons into the building through the new gardens.

Inside the building, a cafe and community meeting rooms are located directly off the lobby and remain open to the neighborhood after hours. The architects located staff offices along the north and east walls, creating space for the library′s collections to occupy the building′s center. Floor–to–ceiling windows replaced the grocery store′s old loading dock doors; this area now functions as a quiet study zone. Light monitors, running down the length of the building, bring daylight into the center of this 32,000–square–foot box.

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Formal name of project:
Denton Public Library North Branch

Location:
Denton, Texas

Gross square footage:
32,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$3.3 million

Client:
Denton Public Library

Architect:
Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle Ltd. (MS&R)
710 South 2nd Street, 7th Fl.
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612-375-0336 tel.
612-342-2216 fax
www.msrltd.com