DODGE CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Lower Level Remodel
The lower level at the Dodge City Public Library was originally used by the Southwest Kansas Library System, but in recent years, after the SWKLS moved to a different location, the large space had been underutilized as administrative and back-of-house area. There was a sizable public meeting room that was used fairly often, but the library decided that they could better utilize their upper and lower level spaces if they moved the children's department to the lower level.
Along with this decision, the Kansas Heritage Center [KHC] was relocated from across the street in the USD 443 Administration Building to a new space in the lower level of the library. With their specialty collection of Kansas books and other items and their research capabilities, housing the KHC at the library allowed the two entities to combine resources and better serve the community as well as the international visitors the KHC assists every year.
The children's department has room for playing with toys, a large storytime stage, reading areas, and tables for library-hosted specialty activities or group projects in addition to the book stacks.
The community meeting room was reorganized and new amenities were added to increase the efficiency and capability of the room to accommodate several different types of experiences, including galleries, presentations, exhibits, and interactive events.
Additional spaces include a new elevator lobby that greets visitors with a welcoming atmosphere, the Friends of the Library room, storage space for the community room, a large back-of-house storage area for the KHC, and offices for the children's department.
This project was completed as a design-build collaboration with Conant Construction while at Bruce McMillan AIA Architects.
