Duluth proposes new $72 million downtown library — if it gets federal and state help

DULUTH — After years of talk about a new downtown library, Duluth city leaders are proposing a $72 million replacement that hinges on state and federal support.

A new 82,000-square-foot building with space to house additional city services, including the regional workforce development center and police units, is crucial to "re-activating downtown Duluth," said Jim Filby Williams, the city's director of libraries, parks and properties. "It's one of the important project benefits at this moment in history."

Earlier this year, the city paid for design work and asked residents what they want in Duluth's largest and most visible library.

The decision to build new instead of renovating was driven by an analysis of the 43-year-old building, but many who gave feedback said they favor that decision, Filby Williams said.

The current long and narrow ore boat-like modernist structure is inefficient and can be hard to navigate. It has poor sightlines and and little flexibility with space, Filby Williams said. Renovation estimates came to $60 million.

In July, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed legislation that included money for the library project, Minnesota Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar said in a news release. It awaits consideration by the full Senate.

The city expects to ask the state for half of the cost in the coming legislative session, and Mayor Emily Larson has said it's one of her top bonding priorities. They'll aim to keep the local taxpayer contribution to a minimum by attempting to tap into other federal funds meant for such multipurpose building projects. The city also plans to use money raised by the Duluth Library Foundation and redirect lease payments that pay for current spaces that would no longer be needed.

The Police Department's mental health team, which includes social and case workers and a registered nurse, is already housed in the downtown Transit Center. Its substance use response team is at police headquarters, 15 minutes away, said Lt. David Drozdowski.

Because they share much of the same clientele and often work together, he said, they'd like those two units to be housed together.

The teams already do outreach with clients at the current library, so the proposed new building is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Drozdowski said.

Patrol officers, who also work closely with those units, would have designated work space under the proposal along with the city's new crisis response team, which handles mental health calls downtown that don't call for police.

Why not renovate? Some parts of the building don't meet Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, and interior space needs to be reconfigured for accessibility. Large, closely spaced columns throughout the building limit sightlines and make it harder for employees to monitor spaces and use them flexibly. Exterior walls need replacement because of leaks and lack of insulation and fire alarm, electric, lighting, heating and cooling systems also need replacement.

Filby Williams said the sustainability of a new building would offset the effects of a demolition's carbon emissions in a few years.

If funding falls into place, construction could begin in the summer of 2025.

Duluth's first official library opened in 1890, but a still-standing downtown Carnegie brownstone built in 1902 served patrons the longest. The current library, cantilevered over an outdoor public space, was designed by architect Gunnar Birkerts, who also designed the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis.

Duluth's library system has about 40,000 active cardholders. In 2022, more than 402,000 items were checked out between print and digital items via the main library and its two branches, and there were more than 260,000 visits to the three libraries.