Speaking of mixed use and libraries

Today's Examiner has a story, "Rockville’s downtown coming together," about the revitalization of the Rockville Town Center, which has been butchered over the years with a variety of whatever the latest concepts were (I remember it being rebuilt when I first moved to the region in 1987).

It happens that my colleague and photocorrespondent Steve Pinkus took some photos there last week.

One of the anchors of the development is a new library, which in addition to traditional library functions, includes office space for the library system as well as other government offices.
Click here for the County website, Transforming Rockville Town Center, about the projects there.
Rendering, Shirlington Branch, Arlington County Library + Signature Theater. Photo: Arlington County Government.

And speaking of mixed use and libraries, don't forget that Arlington County is building a theater for the Signature Theater Company as part of an expanded branch in Shirlington. From the Arlington County website:

Arlington County and Signature Theatre will create an economic and cultural anchor in the first public-private partnership of its type in County history. A new space for Signature is included as part of a Shirlington neighborhood expansion that calls for development of a new office building, a hotel, expanded retail space, and 650 new apartment units. In the new four-story building, a branch of the county library will occupy the first floor (15,293 square foot), and Signature will occupy the second, third and fourth floors (39,103 square foot). Located at the end of S. 28th Street, the new theatre/library complex will open onto an art-filled, public plaza. It will be adjacent to a 750-car free parking garage.

Index Keywords: libraries; mixed-use; urban-design-placemaking