New reading and community areas draw in the public.
Yuma, Arizona’s Heritage Branch library was built in 1921 as the city’s main library. Its original structure was a Carnegie Library, funded through the transformational philanthropy of the magnate Andrew Carnegie to bring culture across American towns. As Yuma grew, the library underwent several renovations and additions, including two substantial changes in 1950 and 1966 that masked the original Beaux Arts structure. When Studio Ma was commissioned to design a renovation to improve the building’s seismic performance, a new main library was also built, and this facility converted to a branch library. At the time, the building was wrapped with a distinctive portico, with slot windows facing out to the library’s grounds.
Previous renovations had obscured the original 1921 Carnegie Library structure and reduced natural daylight to the interior.
Our work for this design/build project included a full interior renovation, new building systems, and a seismic upgrade that provided the opportunity to improve daylighting through the addition of double-height “light rooms,” at the four corners of the building. These also strengthen the structure. Energy upgrades were achieved through the strategic use of daylighting and high-efficiency fixtures, as well as by increasing the building’s insulation.
Studio Ma used the library’s seismic upgrade to open the interior to daylight and improve the library’s ambience.
In addition to books, Yuma Heritage Library provides access to an extensive digital collection as well as numerous public access computer stations. The Library’s central location provides a place where the public can access information and technology, meet, and study after school hours. The Heritage Library serves a predominantly immigrant sector of the community, as well as itinerant residents who stay only in winter months, by providing wide-ranging programs, media, and services available daily to students, families, seniors, and travelers. In keeping with the historically cosmopolitan character of Yuma in the 1920s, the renovation ensures that all ages and members of the community are equally afforded the privileges originally made available by the Carnegie Foundation.
The library emphasizes public programs and provides resources for patrons of all ages. The corner “light rooms” are designed for age-specific use and are separated from the main space of the library with glass walls and translucent metal wire curtains to maintain visual access.
The design reflects the community’s desire for a contemporary, state-of the art facility that respects the special historic nature of the building and its place in the city. Local points of pride such as the Colorado River, the Gila Trail, and the local tale “Roxaboxen” are woven into the project through physical and representational references, providing a lens through which to understand the changing nature of the community.
