Santa Monica City Librarian Greg Mullen (right to left) discusses the new library with Mayor Richard Bloom, City Manager Rod Gould and Council Member Gleam Davis during the Pico Branch Library  groundbreaking ceremony at Virginia Avenue Park on Wednesday, August 15, 2012.

This project is the result of many years of planning and collaboration between community members, City staff, the Pico Branch Project Team, and other local stakeholders, sparked by interest in having a branch library in the Pico neighborhood.

Designed by the award-winning, Santa Monica firm of Koning Eizenberg Architecture, the one-story library will be oriented towards Pico Boulevard and consist of a dynamic, two-building design. The main 7,872 square-foot facility will have children’s, teen and adult collections; popular materials; a children’s area; reading areas; group study rooms; and public computers. Across the fire lane, a separate 818 square-foot community room will be used for story times, educational and cultural programs and will be available for rental by the public. The neighboring structures will be connected at the roofline with a trellis, creating a lively pedestrian breezeway. The first park in the country to receive a LEED silver rating, the Pico Branch Library and surrounding landscape will have many sustainable features and the project is seeking a gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Virginia Avenue Park is wheelchair accessible and welcomes persons of all abilities. For special accommodations, contact (310) 458-8688 or TTY (310) 917-6626 at least three business days prior to the event. The park is served by Big Blue Bus  lines 6, 7 and the Sunset Ride. Bicycle parking is available.   

For more information, contact the Santa Monica Public Library at (310) 458-8600. Or visit the Library’s Pico Branch Project website at smpl.org./picobranch.aspx.