The Westwood Branch Library is getting a much needed makeover.
That means that the branch, located at 1000 S. Lowell Blvd., will close on June 14 for approximately eight weeks while it undergoes renovations, the Denver Public Library system announced.
The Westwood Branch is about a 900-square-foot facility, making it the smallest branch in DPL's system. The renovation would be expanding the facility's "usable space by 50%," according to a DPL press release.
The project will add a new computer lab to the space, a new lobby and it give a cosmetic update to the existing facility.
This is the first project to use money from the Denver Public Library Fund, approved by Denver voters last November. The money comes from an additional property tax that would supply DPL with an additional $32 million a year.
The new tax would come out to $0.89 per month for every $100,000 of assessed value for residential property owners, and $3.63 per month for commercial property owners. The ballot measure estimated that the average homeowner would pay an additional $4.19 per month, based on the city auditor's price of $469,000 as the median home value in Denver.
The purpose of the measure was to fund renovation projects, like the Westwood branch update, along with increased services and pay raises for employees.
While the branch is closed, DPL said customer holds will be transferred to the Hadley Branch Library located at 1890 S. Grove St. The bookmobile will also visit the area every other Thursday starting on June 22 from 2 -4 p.m.
This is just the start of DPL's work in the Westwood neighborhood.
According to "Activate! Denver," DPL's 10-year plan regarding renovation needs and branch expansion, DPL recognized that there were gaps in branch services, particularly in Westwood and the RiNo section of Five Points.
DPL officially opened the Bob Ragland Branch Library in RiNo's ArtPark Community Hub in February 2022. It's a three-acre public space and collaboration between DPL, RiNo Art District, the City & County of Denver, RedLine Contemporary Art Center and Focus Points Family Resource Center.
DPL acknowledged that the existing branch in Westwood didn't serve the needs of the neighborhood completely, so the library system secured funding for a bigger and better branch through the 2021 Rise Bond.
Partnering with Lifespan Local, a Southwest Denver community service group, DPL is set to open the new branch that is currently under construction at the site of the old Redeemer Lutheran Church on the corner of W. Nevada and S. Irving.
In other library news, the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library and the Ross-Cherry Creek Branch Library are still closed.
The Blair-Caldwell branch is still in the process of getting a major makeover for the first time in its 19-year history. The branch closed in May 2022 and is in the final phases of the renovation. DPL said the branch is set to reopen during the summer.
Despite rumors of the branch closing and DPL potentially selling the building, that is not happening with the Ross-Cherry Creek branch. It temporarily closed last year and has undergone several structural integrity analyses. A recent analysis determined that "the building can be reoccupied and the building can be reopened," according to DPL. Some additional maintenance work is required along with hiring staff, so there's no definitive timeline on when the branch will reopen.
In the interim, Blair-Caldwell users can access the archives at the Central Library branch near Civic Center Park and any holds placed at Blair-Caldwell prior to the closure can be picked up at the Ford-Warren branch in Whitter.
For Ross-Cherry Creek, residents can use the Eugene Field Branch and the Schlessman Family Branch which are about two miles from the Cherry Creek branch.
