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Key features of the new 104,000 sq. ft. Main Library
designed by Moore Ruble Yudell (MRY) include a
greater civic presence on Santa Monica Blvd.,
multiple entrances, garden spaces and window walls
on the ground level to engage users and passersby. A
gallery of design documents is
available here.
FIRST FLOOR
Paseos, or interior streets, direct visitors to
major activity centers, such as a large area
for children and young adults, fiction and popular
collections, a grand reading room and
customer service areas. Other first floor features
include a large central courtyard, an
auditorium, Friends of the Library store and café
space. There is also a separate, ground level space
for the museum of the Santa Monica Historical
Society.
SECOND FLOOR
Focuses on research and study with nonfiction,
reference and periodicals collections and
service points, the Santa Monica Collection, study
rooms, a quiet reading area, a large
computer commons, a computer training room and
community meeting rooms.
PUBLIC ART
Other features include "Underwater Canopy," a
site-specific artwork by Carl Cheng and
long-term loan from the Smithsonian
Institution of the Stanton Macdonald-Wright murals
designed for one of the original libraries.
PARKING
A three-level, subterranean garage, with 500 parking
spaces, and a street-level lot, with
short-term and handicapped parking spaces, meets the
community’s need for additional parking in the
downtown area.
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