The Baltimore Library Project, a public/private collaboration between the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and Baltimore City Public Schools. The Weinberg Foundation selected elementary/middle school libraries in high-poverty neighborhoods where many students face academic challenges, to design, build, equip, and staff new libraries for kids to learn in and grow in.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary Library
his cozy library was chocked full of windows and natural light. Bespoke room darkening shades featuring black and white images of crabs, various sea creatures, birds, ancient fossils, delicate eggs, and vibrant butterflies, enhance the space strikingly.
Above the bookshelves, the inviting phrase “Welcome to the Library” was artistically translated on textured wallpaper in twenty-seven distinct languages. Notably, this same distinctive wallpaper graced the walls of all the Weinberg Libraries in different color palettes.
These spaces were designed in tandem with local interior design and architecture firms, Kirk Designs and JRS Architects. Working on such large scale graphics in spaces that were completely gutted and rebuilt, meant that site visits to each library became an integral part of this fun project.
The following schools were chosen and updated over a 5 year period.
Moravia Park Elementary Library
Southwest Baltimore Charter School Library
Thomas Johnson Elementary & Middle School Library
Arlington Elementary & Middle School Library
Elmer A. Henderson-Hopkins Elementary Library
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary Library
Harford Heights Elementary Library
Morrell Park Elementary Library
Windsor Hills Elementary & Middle School Library
Commodore John Rodgers Elementary & Middle School Library
Westport Academy Library
Arlington Elementary & Middle School Library
The library’s barrel-vaulted ceiling features a whimsical design bisecting the space with images of polar bears, pink flamingos, the pyramids of Giza, and the Arch de Triomphe against a starry night and two-dimensional clouds.
Like other libraries, room-darkening window shades are installed in both sections to prevent excessive heat and brightness that would impair visibility of smart board projections and laptops.
Large stretched spandex drum shades, depicting faces of diverse children from around the world,
serve as a central focal point above the common reading area.
