Where would you go if a major earthquake struck Richmond and destroyed your home and surrounding neighborhood?
A library might not be the first place that comes to mind. But Richmond’s 77-year-old main branch is undergoing a $34 million renovation that will transform it into exactly that: a safe, stable place where residents can go when earthquakes, wildfires, health hazards or power outages upend daily life.
“It’s important to have a place where people can go in these circumstances,” said Christopher Larsen, the library’s services manager.
More than 100 people gathered in front of the library last week for an official groundbreaking, including elected leaders and public works crews, to mark the start of construction.
Kate Eppler, deputy director of the library’s community services programs, told the crowd to expect something special when the doors reopen in 2027.
“The library is going to look special inside,” Eppler told the crowd. “We’re excited and, when it’s completed and you walk inside, you’ll be excited too.”
Seismic upgrades, new amenities and an interior overhaul
The renovation addresses years of deferred maintenance while also preparing the building to function reliably during emergencies.
While the exterior won’t look substantially different, the inside will be gutted.
At a glance
Cost: $34 million
Reopening: Fall 2027
New amenities: Study rooms, community rooms, teen rooms
Address: 325 Civic Center Plaza
Structural work includes seismic upgrades with new braced shelving, a modern fire alarm and automatic sprinkler system and a redesigned building entrance. The project also includes: replacing the roof, which leaks and had weeds growing around its solar panels; lighting, electrical and mechanical systems; converting the building to all-electric; energy-efficient HVAC; and a new solar energy system, which will make the building a model of sustainability. The project is targeting LEED Silver certification, which means it’s more environmentally sustainable and healthier for its occupants. New high-performance windows and flooring round out the work, along with upgraded restrooms and a new elevator.
“The improvements were the origin of the project when it was first approved,” Eppler said. “We wanted to deal first with the life and safety issues.”
But as planning progressed, the scope expanded to include features aimed at drawing in more residents, especially families. The renovation will add an expanded children’s library, small enclosed meeting rooms, study rooms, a teen room and more power outlets for laptops and devices.
Eppler said the spaces for younger visitors were a high priority.
“Children’s programs are such an important part of libraries,” she said.
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Our goal has been to provide Richmond with a new living room.”
— Michelle Milam, president of the Richmond Public Library Foundation
Michelle Milam, president of the Richmond Public Library Foundation and the police department’s crime prevention manager, said the project is to give every resident a comfortable, welcoming place to be.
“Our goal has been to provide Richmond with a new living room,” Milam said, a nod to the idea of a “third place,” spaces outside home and work where people choose to gather.
A 77-year-old building, a 2027 reopening
The city’s main library opened in its current location in 1949. It used red brick and glass for a modern look and was hailed as the first glass-fronted public library in the country.
The library closed in July 2025 for construction. Library services and programs were moved to the Nevin Avenue conference rooms at the nearby Richmond Memorial Auditorium. The city’s other two branches, in the Point Richmond and Bayview neighborhoods, have remained open.
After the groundbreaking ceremony, Mayor Eduardo Martinez studied artist renderings of the project displayed on easels in front of the library.
“This is the quality library that every city deserves,” Martinez said. “This is a pivotal investment in our community. It will be a modern, welcoming library.”
For Milam, though, the project is more than a construction timeline. It’s a promise to the community—one that will pay off over the years.
“I can’t wait to come back and see the garden we are growing,” she said.
The pictures of the new library look idyllic, but kids use iPads and laptops now. I can not remember the last time I saw a kid read a book. Where are the computer workstations? To me, this seems like something that looked good on paper, but no one will really use. Research is done online now. People do not slow down enough to browse books in a library and sit and read.