Columbus Metropolitan Library hires architect to design new branch on Northwest Side
The Columbus Metropolitan Library system has selected its architect who will be responsible for the design of its 24th library branch, which will be built on Columbus' Northwest Side.
MSR Design, a Minneapolis-based and women-owned architecture firm, will be paid over $1.85 million to design CML's new Case Road Branch, which will be constructed on West Case Road in a planned new Columbus park to be located across from the Ohio State University Airport. The land, informally known as OSU's "sheep farm," was purchased by the city from the university in 2019.
"We are so excited to partner with the City of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department on this project," CML CEO Lauren Hagan said in a prepared release. "We know that northwest residents have been eager for a community library, and we're delighted by the opportunity to fulfill that desire in an area that has not previously had close access."
The CML has set aside an initial budget of $15.9 million for the new branch, said Ben Zenitsky, library system spokesperson.
Traci Lesneski, lead designer and CEO of MSR Design, has worked on more than 90 library projects across the country, several of which have won awards, Zenitsky said. The Case Road Branch will be their first in Ohio.
Construction of the Case Road Branch will begin in 2026.
@ShahidMeighan
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Metro Library hires architect to design new Case Road Branch
