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Carnegie Library Branch To Open In Hill District

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Aug 27, 2008 5:38 pm US/Eastern

Carnegie Library Branch To Open In Hill District

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Way back when, an old gas station and restaurant once stood at the corner of Center Avenue and Kirkpatrick Street in the Hill District.

But times have changed.

Instead of filling your car and your stomach, you can now fill your mind there.

A new Carnegie Library branch is being built there. It's the first one to be constructed from the ground up since 1980.

Community leaders are thrilled the Carnegie Library chose to build its first branch in almost 30 years in the heart of the Hill District.

"I'm very excited that it's right in the middle of the Hill. It's new investment into our neighborhood and that's absolutely, absolutely important," says Evan Frazier, President of the Hill House Association.

"It's so central to the community. Being at the corner of Centre & Kirkpatrick Street is like being in the heart of the Hill District. We saw this as a perfect new location for the library. Perfect place to convene the new library and perhaps encourage some economic development," says Barbara Mistick, Director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

New development may already be taking place with a new deli set to open across the street.

Inside the new library, workers are putting the finishing touches on construction.

Empty shelves, are in place, just waiting to be filled with books that can take you anywhere your imagination will allow.

The building also has walls of windows and will be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

"This whole building is about the glass and allowing light. The natural light is almost lighting the whole building without artificial light, which is a very green thing," says architect Robert Pfaffmann.

The new library will be 8,000 square feet, with a little something for everyone.

"We've got a children's room. There's a separate teen's space. A central reading area. There's a community meeting area. There's also a lot of computers. When people come to the library, it's not just about books. It's about access to the internet and audio visual materials as well," says Mistick.

The $3.15 million Hill District library will replace the old one, that's currently two blocks away in a basement on Dinwiddie.

The Carnegie Library hopes to have its grand opening on October 25th.




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