Best Biblio-Building Boosters

It’s no mystery that Downtown’s Central Atlanta Library is long overdue for a renovation. The boxy Brutalist building that opened in 1980 has broken elevators, dysfunctional doors, and spotty cell service. Some elected officials had proposed bulldozing the Marcel Breuer-designed building and starting from scratch. But to FRIENDS OF THE CENTRAL ATLANTA LIBRARY, the architecturally significant building is not outdated, just unloved. The group turned discussion away from spending tens of millions of dollars on building a subpar replacement and argued why the library needs a makeover. (If only FOCAL were around when the original Carnegie library, which once stood where Central is located today, was torn down.) Despite pressure from heavy-hitters, FOCAL won the hearts and minds of elected officials and  reminded residents of the asset. The victory sent a signal to the powers that be: Don’t keep knocking down things we can’t replace. www.facebook.com/focalpage. less...