28-05-2025
East Lake Library reopening after being closed for 4 years in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Four years after being closed due to a defunct HVAC system, East Lake Library will soon reopen.
The library, which closed its doors 'indefinitely' back in the summer of 2021, will reopen at 10 a.m. Monday at 5 Oporto Madrid Boulevard.
The library first opened in 1914 on the second floor of the former East Lake Fire Station before finding its own space along Oporto Madrid in 1928. For generations, the 'Storybook Mural' has been a fixture of the library, painted by artist Carrie Hill and placed in East Lake in 1937 as part of the Works Progress Administration under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
'This week, East Lake Library is reopening its doors — and I couldn't be prouder,' Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement Wednesday. 'Not just because it's another win for our neighborhoods, but because it reflects what we believe: access to knowledge should never be up for debate.'
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while libraries across Birmingham were closed, staff noticed issues with the building air conditioning unit, closing the library in June 2021, according to The Birmingham Times. At the time, the library was listed as being closed 'indefinitely' with no opening date in sight.
While the library remains one of the oldest in the city, its circulation serves a small but loyal base. According to the Jefferson County Library Cooperative, East Lake and the now-defunct Ensley library had a combined book loan of over 1,500 books in 2021.
In his proposed budget for the city, Woodfin has asked that nearly $16.4 million be allocated for the Birmingham Public Library.
The reopening will include a ceremony and light refreshments.
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