McAllen Public Library, Public library in McAllen, Texas.

McAllen Public Library occupies a former Walmart big box store at Nolana Avenue and 23rd Street, opened in December 2011. Its single floor covers 125,000 square feet, about two and a half US football fields. Minneapolis firm Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle designed the interior, which holds an art gallery, 16 public meeting spaces, 14 study rooms, a quiet reading room and 64 computers in the general lab.

The building was originally a retail store and underwent conversion into a library starting in 2012. This transformation demonstrates how cities can repurpose commercial spaces into new cultural venues.

The library serves as a gathering place where residents come to study, learn, and spend time together. It offers programs and resources that reflect the diverse needs of people living in McAllen and the surrounding area.

The main location is at 4001 North 23rd Street, with two additional branches elsewhere in the city. Allow extra time for visits since the building is quite large and navigating to specific sections can take longer than expected.

The Main Library occupies a former Walmart big box store and, at its December 2011 opening, was the largest single-floor library in the United States, covering 125,000 square feet — about two and a half times a standard US football field. Its conversion by Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle won the IIDA 2012 Library Interior Design Competition and the AIA Honor Award for Interior Architecture in 2013.