A new library coming to the Westwood neighborhood officially has a name.
The Denver Public Library announced that the new branch will be called the Lena Archuleta Branch Library.
DPL said Archuleta was Denver's first Hispanic female school principal, serving students in the 1970s at the now closed Fairview Elementary School in the Sun Valley neighborhood. Archuleta was born in New Mexico in 1920 and attended the University of Denver with a scholarship. She later became a Spanish teacher and librarian who prioritized low-income students, the release said.
When she retired, Archuleta co-founded the Latin American Research and Service Agency and helped create the Mi Casa Resource Center.
Archuleta died in 2011, "leaving behind a lasting impact on community service and education," according to DPL.
DPL put out a call for name submissions in September. The library system formed a community committee, in partnership with District 3 Councilmember Jamie Torres, made up of Westwood residents, business owners and community leaders. The committee guided the process and DPL's Special Collections Team vetted the names they received. A DPL commission later approved using Archuleta's name.
The Westwood neighborhood has a library branch but at about 900 square feet it is the tiniest branch in the DPL's system.
With the 2021 Rise Bond, DPL secured funding to build a bigger and better branch more suited for the neighborhood's needs. The new branch will be about 6,000 square-feet and feature a larger collection, more access to technology, and community meeting spaces.
DPL partnered with Lifespan Local, a Southwest Denver community service group, to open the new branch at the site of the old Redeemer Lutheran Church on the corner of W. Nevada Place and S. Irving Street. Lifespan purchased the church in 2021 and intends to turn it into a community hub with an early education center, a community kitchen, mental health services, and a law clinic.
The new branch is currently under construction and when completed, it will be DPL's 28th branch.
"Naming the Lena Archuleta Branch after her represents a meaningful connection to Denver's history and an everlasting way to celebrate and share her story as an educator and leader in service of Denver's Hispanic community," City Librarian Michelle Jeske said in the release. "We are thrilled to see this branch being constructed and brought to life within the Westwood Redeemer development in partnership with Lifespan Local who have been amazing collaborators with us through this process."
