Cleveland Public Library
MLK Branch

Location
Cleveland, Ohio

Owner
Cleveland Public Library

Team
Acoustics and AV  - Threshold
Architect - SO-IL

Size
37,700 square feet

Schedule
Estimated Completion 2023

Situated at the confluence of the University Circle, Fairfax, and Hough neighborhoods, the MLK Branch of the Cleveland Public Library continues a legacy of strengthening community networks and generating opportunities for advancement. It is the home of the Ainsfield-Wolf Book Awards collection and a pioneering hub for enrichment, arts, and joy.

Joy could be found at all stages of the design process for Threshold. The ground floor is dedicated to teen, pre-teen, and early childhood activities. What could have been a single atrium space became smaller pockets for intimate storytime moments – and all through a collaborative, and highly iterative design work by the team. Marrying acoustic materials with fabrics and materials that were playful, soft, and durable help create a friendly and storybook-like atmosphere. 

A facade of alternating solid and glazed panels wrap the building like a curtain, soft and fabric-like in appearance. It diffuses the perimeter, provides calibrated protection from direct daylight, and offers a degree of privacy for the library’s interior. A voluminous canopy further shelters the surrounding grounds to ensure the library does not stop at its enclosure but extends beyond to be truly open, celebrating civic life.

Centered in a welcoming grand room is the library’s core feature: an architecturally scaled table. From the main performance stage at its center, the table’s edge lengthens through specific contours that react to each facade and facilitate particular uses. This central table invites people of all ages, genders, races, and physical characteristics to explore and work together and invokes Dr. King’s “Table of Brotherhood”, a table where everyone has a place.