Pine Bluff Unveils Plans for New Library

In its ongoing effort to revitalize downtown, Pine Bluff city leaders today rolled out the plans for a new main library.

“I’ve been happy all day…it’s an exciting time for us in Pine Bluff,” Mayor Shirley Washington said at the unveiling program held in the auditorium of the main library branch. “We’re getting ready to wage an initiative called ‘Pine Bluff Reads,’ and there’s no better way to start that initiative than opening a new library.”

Mayor Washington highlighted the city’s refurbished tennis courts, an all-inclusive playground, and the long-awaited library project as signs of the growth underway during her tenure. The library, which will be located at 6th and Main Streets, is set to open in 2020.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson called it a “meaningful day for the people of Pine Bluff” in a letter read during the program by Library Board Chair, Edward Fontenette. Governor Hutchinson also pointed to the library as a “great addition to the city.”

The library will include an area dedicated to computer training, two recording studios, a teaching kitchen for children and loft for teenagers along with a coffee shop.

The architecture firm selected to design the library is recognized globally for its work on the Central Arkansas 

Library in Little Rock, the Hillary Clinton Children’s Library, and the Batesville Library. Polk, Stanley and Wilcox will partner with local architect, Fred Reed. The lead architect is Reese Rowland who won two international design awards in the span of a decade.