Plans For New Downtown Library In Winston-Salem Unveiled

Forsyth County residents got a glimpse at new design plans for the renovated Central Library in downtown Winston-Salem.  RATIO Architects of Raleigh presented their work to county commission members Thursday afternoon.  The design is reflective of input from community members.

Over the past two years, the county has collected comments and input from residents about the new library. Damon Sanders-Pratt, Deputy County Manager, says architects incorporated some of these ideas into their modern design for the $20-million project.

“Some of those things are green elements, one building and not two, which is what currently exists. There's also lots of windows and transparency in the building, and things like a cafe and so forth. These are elements that people indicated that they wanted to see in the Forsyth County Central Library,” says Sanders-Pratt.

But he says visitors will notice one change inside right away. There will be fewer stacks of books. Pratt says the new library will use more technology devices like e-readers and tablets.

The county closed the library last month. It was a controversial decision. The county was criticized for not picking a new site, and not finding a temporary place nearby during the renovation.

The new downtown library is expected to open in 2017.

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