Graduate students recently presented designs for an addition to and renovation of Washington, D.C.’s Carnegie Library building. The students propose returning the 60,000-square-foot building to its original grandeur. The Neoclassical building served as the District’s original downtown central library from 1903 until 1972, when it was relocated to a Mies van der Rohe structure.
Led by Professor David Mayernik, the students created designs to substantially increase the size of the building while honoring its historic status. The students also addressed better incorporating Mount Vernon Square, on which the Carnegie is located, into Washington’s urban core. The designs were presented at an event hosted by the DC Historical Society at the Carnegie on December 12th.
Partial renovations were made to the structure in the 1980s to fulfill the needs of the University of the District of Columbia. In 1999 DC’s Historical Society raised nearly 20 million to convert the Carnegie into a museum dedicated to the city’s history. The City Museum of Washington DC opened in May 2003, but the projections of how many tourists would visit proved overly optimistic. The building is currently home to the DC Historical Society and the National Music Center, although the building is largely underutilized.
There is increasing interest to renovate and increase the building’s square footage. Any additional use of the building would necessitate expanding the Carnegie, which the Notre Dame students’ proposals explore.
This studio was made possible by funding from Bybee Stone Company located in Bloomington, Indiana. For nearly three decades, Bybee Stone has engaged in a full range of building projects, including new buildings and restoration work, providing the highest-quality limestone and other building materials.
