Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Central library in Penn Quarter, Washington DC, United States.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is a four-story modernist structure made of glass and steel located in Penn Quarter. The building contains multiple departments, digital labs for creative work, study rooms, and meeting spaces designed for public use and research.
Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the building, which opened in 1972 as the main branch of the District's public library system. Its creation represented a commitment to making learning resources available to all residents of the growing city.
The library bears the name of a civil rights leader, reflecting an understanding that knowledge and learning belong to everyone in the community. Inside, visitors encounter the People's Archive, which collects photographs and documents that tell the stories of the city's different neighborhoods and residents.
Advanced computer stations and study rooms can be reserved online, making it easy to secure a workspace for focused work. The building's layout and amenities support visitors who want to spend time on projects or research throughout the day.
A fifth-floor terrace offers open views across the downtown area and regularly hosts outdoor programs and gatherings for the community. This outdoor space provides a quiet escape from the street activity below.
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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe shaped 20th-century architecture. His buildings stand in European and North American cities and show his approach: clear geometry, steel and glass combined with open floor plans. Each project follows the principle of reducing to the essential and defining space through...
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