Abandoned Walmart Transformed into Public Library
Originally posted at pfsk.com, by Dave Pinter on June 28, 2012; all photos by Laura Swimmer
Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle’s design of the McAllen Public Library in Texas is a case study of creative reuse.
image by Laura Swimmer
How brilliant is this?!
The city of McAllen, Texas, has taken upcycling to a new level. When Walmart closed in their town, leaving a 124,500 sq. foot space abandoned, they made a visionary leap. Rather than find another big box retailer, they decided to turn the space into a public libary.
As per Beth Buczynski of Shareable.net, “The cavernous space now houses an auditorium, computers lab, classrooms and meeting rooms, and adult and teen reading lounges — not to mention hundreds of thousands of books — earning it the title of the largest single-story library location in the U.S. The best part of this entire transformation story is that following the re-launch of the library, new user registration increased by 23 percent. That means a lot of people were talking, learning, sharing, and supporting their community instead of simply buying a giant box of laundry soap or cheap patio furniture made in China. And that’s what I call upcycling for the win.”
Bravissimo, citizens of McAllen, Texas!
Category: INNOVATION
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