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restaurant was busy and successful during the early years it was closed during the late 1990s. Furthermore, the
Brutalist architectural style of the library has not been widely appreciated by the public. In an effort to mute the perceived harshness of the style, the system spent $ 5 million to renovate the building in 2002. The money was spent on a new carpet with colorful highlights and more colorful walls. A full renovation would have cost an estimated $ 34 million. Nonetheless, it remained unclear as to what would happen to the Breuer building. A multi-year preservation effort led by artist, writer and historian, Max Eternity, renewed interest in the building, and the library was listed on the
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when the structure was completed in 1980 it featured a 300-seat theater, six stories of library space, and a restaurant. The building was built for a capacity of 1,000 users and 1 million volumes. The structure consists of a steel frame and concrete slabs, and the exterior is composed of precast concrete panels that were bush-hammered for texture. Concrete was chosen as the material because concrete allowed for the most economical implementation of the special shapes required for the recessed windows and splayed reveals. The second, third, and fourth stories are connected by a monumental concrete staircase.
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The library was renovated in 1950 and 1966 through city bond funding. Before 1950 the system was referred to as the
Carnegie Library, but to commemorate the renovation of the central Carnegie Library the system was renamed the Atlanta Public Library in 1950. It was in this building that 20 gay men were arrested following a police stakeout in September 1953, an event known as the
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The concept for the design dates back to 1969, but the contract was not awarded to Breuer until 1976, because of disputes between the library administration and city government over the bond referendum needed to raise the $ 18.9 million for construction of the library. Construction began in 1977, and
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On March 4, 1902, the first public library, the
Carnegie Library, opened on the site of the current Central Library. When the library opened, only the basement, the stacks, and the children's room were completed. The Carnegie Library remained the main library of the system for most of the century.
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as architect of record. Within this renovation program, the addition of numerous large windows to the facade prompted strong criticism from preservationists and architects for its alteration of Breuer’s original design. Renovation work of $ 50 million was largely complete by
February 2021. The
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Since 1980, however, the state-of-the-art facilities have deteriorated. The theater was closed during the mid-1990s after water from a leaking concrete planter above the theater collapsed parts of the ceiling, but has since been renovated due to recent interest in the building. Although the
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In July 2016 the Fulton County Board of
Commissioners unanimously voted not to demolish the library building. The library was closed in July 2018 for extensive interior and exterior renovations led by architectural firm
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Atlanta-Fulton
Library System announced in March 2021 that the Atlanta Central Library would reopen in late summer or early fall 2021, with the official reopening in early October 2021.
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321:. In 1977 the Carnegie Library was torn down to make way for the current Central Library. However, the building's architectural bays were preserved, and used to create the
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295:. In 2002 the building was partially renovated, and following a 2016 vote against demolishing the structure a complete renovation took place from 2018 to 2021.
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614:"Library's lost luster: Twenty years of decay and obsolescence has siphoned Centrals' cultural swagger. A $ 3 million face-lift may not be enough".
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357:. Breuer was unable to attend the dedication ceremonies on May 25, 1980, and he died a year later on July 1, 1981, at the age of 79.
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531:"Atlanta's urge for a trendy new central library may mean that time is up for Marcel Breuer's final building"
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architectural style, was once considered a masterpiece by architectural experts, such as
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740:"Central Atlanta Library's controversial redo is almost finished. Is it really so bad?"
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Nutting, J R (March 4, 1902). "Carnegie's Gift to
Atlanta Will Become Active Today".
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Completed in 1980, it was the last building to be designed by
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or
Brutalist. Built from 1977 to 1980, the library was
271:. The visual conceptualization the building is influenced by
762:"Fulton libraries planning phased reopening starting May 1"
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629:"Beauty, truth and bonds: Is library a classy eyesore?".
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2010 World
Monuments Watch List of Most Endangered Sites
283:; an architectural aesthetic that later became known as
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Marcel Breuer, Architect: The Career and the
Buildings
478:. Atlanta–Fulton Public Library System. Archived from
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in association with Vines Architects as designers and
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693:"Fulton County Votes To Not Demolish Central Library"
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The library before, during, and after its renovation
557:"Central Library & Library System Headquarters"
438:Central Library & Library System Headquarters
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279:, with the exterior cladding and surface being
884:Brutalist architecture in Georgia (U.S. state)
646:"Threatened in Atlanta: Breuer's Last Design"
325:, a monument to higher education in Atlanta.
764:. The Marietta Daily Journal. April 13, 2021
503:"From Whence We Came: Our LGBTQ ATL History"
267:is the main library and headquarters of the
879:1980 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
889:Buildings and structures completed in 1980
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668:"Central Library (preservation blogspot)"
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349:, the Chief Architectural Curator of the
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529:Lerner, Jonathan (February 18, 2009).
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319:Atlanta Public Library perversion case
742:. Urbanize Atlanta. February 25, 2021
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533:. Metropolis Magazine. Archived from
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644:Serratore, Angela (March 23, 2009).
501:Sylvestre, Berlin (August 3, 2018).
291:last work, and his only building in
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65:Atlanta–Fulton Public Library System
894:Buildings and structures in Atlanta
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16:Public library in Atlanta, Georgia
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783:Moffatt, Emil (October 4, 2021).
672:Centralbranchlibrary.blogspot.com
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341:. The building, designed in the
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720:. Curbed Atlanta. June 1, 2021
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476:"100 Years of Library Service"
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355:Whitney Museum of Art building
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904:Libraries established in 1980
618:. March 11, 2001. p. 1G.
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633:. July 28, 2008. p. A1.
312:The Carnegie Library in 1976
142:1 Margaret Mitchell Square,
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323:Carnegie Education Pavilion
173:33.75778000°N 84.38841389°W
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593:. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
589:Hyman, Isabelle (2001).
459:The Atlanta Constitution
48:Municipal public library
914:Marcel Breuer buildings
648:. Preservation Magazine
261:Atlanta Central Library
213:Design and construction
24:Atlanta Central Library
443:July 27, 2020, at the
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273:Mid-Century Modernism
76:Public transit access
899:Landmarks in Atlanta
863:Georgia (U.S. state)
351:Museum of Modern Art
337:-movement architect
189:Construction started
277:International Style
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129:Architectural style
124:General information
35:The library in 2021
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508:The Georgia Voice
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797:. Retrieved
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375:Cooper Carry
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241:Cooper Carry
233:Architect(s)
218:Architect(s)
200:May 25, 1980
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799:October 14,
379:Moody Nolan
237:Moody Nolan
176: /
151:Coordinates
53:Established
873:Categories
768:August 25,
746:August 25,
724:August 25,
652:August 12,
541:August 12,
486:January 1,
424:References
281:BĂ©ton Brut
561:Afpls.org
514:August 4,
343:Brutalist
285:Brutalism
205:Renovated
133:Brutalist
61:Branch of
702:July 12,
677:July 12,
571:July 12,
441:Archived
275:and the
93:Route 40
837:Portals
335:Bauhaus
299:History
293:Atlanta
139:Address
98:Website
597:
197:Opened
801:2021
770:2021
748:2021
726:2021
704:2018
679:2018
654:2009
595:ISBN
573:2018
543:2009
516:2020
488:2011
259:The
192:1977
45:Type
263:in
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