Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

Beautiful! I will say walking up to it can be daunting because of the homeless tents and the number of homeless on the downstairs floor too, but on the upper floors it’s more inviting, lots of comfortable chairs and coaches, bright lights, huge glass windows all around, and a security and cameras as well. They have a lovely children and teens section and an adult floor. There’s also an exhibition floor which was my favorite, it’s on floor 4, it documents parts of the work of MLK Jr and his colleagues. Floor 5 was the rooftop terrace in high has a lovely view. Definitely a great library.

Beautiful renovation to a historic library. Stairs are worth taking and green rooftop offers great views to the city. The children’s section is also very well done complete with an indoor slide.

The MLK Jr. Memorial Library is a truly modernized gem in D.C. Originally designed by Mies van der Rohe, its spectacular recent renovation has transformed it into a vibrant, multi-level hub. It now features a public rooftop garden, theater, and modern learning studios, actively embodying Dr. King's legacy of knowledge, opportunity, and community for all.

Beautiful example of a public library main branch! Hundreds of spaces to quietly study and work, not to mention the vast resources on the shelves and computer terminals. The staff does a great job making this a center for the community, with regular events like classes and open mics. A makerspace in the basement! A terrace with bustling city views on the top level! It is at possibly the most transit accessible point in the city, the only place where all metro lines are within a one block walk. DC residents can be proud, and should do whatever they can to preserve funding for this treasure of a library system.

This Art All Night was the best, yet. The organizers went all out this year. The difference from last year: at the main entrance was bag checks which was a deterrence for attendees due to the line wrapping around the corner. Once inside the gate, there was a barrier midway from the stage to the back area which prevented overcrowding because last year was so crowded it was shut down earlier than the scheduled time. Inside and outside the library was a lot of talented artists of all sorts, comedy performances, and lots of kid-friendly activities. MPD was all in full force so attendees were able to feel safe. Although, there was some unknown commotion that approximately 2 minutes, that Backyard Band stopped playing and MPD responded in formation and things were back to normal. There was an a