Sumner Community Library: Factsheet

• New Buildings and Capital Projects
• Capital Projects at Community Libraries

A New Day

After a two-year restoration/expansion project, historic Sumner Library is now a state-of-the-art, fully accessible library with an excellent collection of books, media, and community resources. The expanded space makes the library a focal point and gathering place for meeting, learning, and research for people of all ages.

Historic Library

Sumner Community Library has been a significant architectural and cultural landmark since it first opened to the public December 16, 1915. A Carnegie Library, the Tudor Revival style building is on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission. The library was named after Charles Sumner, a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and an outspoken abolitionist.

The original 5,000 sq. ft. library was enlarged in 1927. In 1938 the whole library was moved 100 feet to the north to accommodate the widening of Olson Highway. Another expansion in 1939 resulted in a 9,600 sq. ft. library that served the community until April 2003, when it was closed for restoration. The new design added a spacious reading room, a new entry on 7th Street, and new lower level space, making the facility now 14,600 sq. ft. A new parking lot with fresh landscaping creates an attractive yard with sidewalks, bike racks, and reading benches.

Sumner's Special Spaces

The Reading Room

With a vaulted ceiling, rich woodwork, and display cases, this new addition on the west side is an inspiring and welcoming space offering a large collection of books, media, and magazines selected for the community.

The Sudduth Room

The historic fireside reading room now houses the Gary N. Sudduth African American History and Culture Collection and local history materials. It is named in honor of Gary Sudduth, a Library Board Trustee from 1980 until his death in 1997.

Teen Zone

Comfy seats, fast computers, homework help, and an up-to-date collection will attract teens and 'tweens.

The Children's Library

A great collection of children's books and Web-for-Kids computers await young library users.

The Storybook Room

Colorful picture books and a storytelling chair for impromptu read-alouds invite children and caregivers into this carefully restored room.

The Book Nook

Fashioned from an old closet, this kids-only cubbyhole is furnished with curl-up-and-read bean bag chairs.

The Cargill Room

Generously funded by The Cargill Foundation, this multi-functional room provides space for tutoring, classes, book clubs, and other gatherings. A wall-sized mural displays the Minneapolis skyline at the time the original Sumner Library was built, along with wise words from past and present thinkers that speak to the importance of libraries.

The Nellie Stone Johnson Room

The library's original meeting room has been lovingly restored and named in honor of community leader Nellie Stone Johnson (1905-2002), a lifelong advocate for education and equal opportunity and the first African American to be elected in Minneapolis when she won a seat on the Library Board in 1945.

The Friends of Sumner Conference Room

A gathering place for smaller groups, this room displays historic photographs of Sumner Library over the years and is named in honor of the Friends of Sumner, a loyal and dedicated corps of library supporters and volunteers.

The Northside Learning Center

The Minnesota Literacy Council, a long-term partner, provides literacy and English Language Learning assistance in this new space custom designed for tutoring.

New Life for Historic Features

The Library Board's commitment to historic preservation and sustainable design are evident throughout the project, notably in the use of natural light and environmentally-friendly new materials and the re-use of historic items.

• Reclaimed furniture includes the original wooden chairs and tables, upholstered seating, dictionary stand, and other furnishings.
• Decorative wood panels from the 1915 circulation desk were used to make the new reading bench.
• The 1927 arched wood opening that led to the former Children's Room was repositioned behind the new service desk, in direct line of sight from the new entrance.
• Marble countertops on the new service desk were cut from original restroom partitions.
• A section of wood railing from the 1915 Librarian's Mezzanine is now below the window across from the new service desk.
• Patterned metal ventilation grilles removed from the top of 1915 bookshelves were reinstalled in bookshelves and window benches in the new reading room.
• Wood trim and material from bookcases were reused in features including a walk-up computer counter in the Sudduth Room and light sconces in the Book Nook.
• Original skylights were upgraded for better energy efficiency and enhanced brightness.
• Existing doors and hardware were restored to their original appearance and placed throughout the library.
• Original fireplace in the Sudduth Room was cleaned, with historic patina above the opening retained.
• Because "Minneapolis Public Library" carved in stone above the original entrance was badly weathered, the stone was lifted out and rotated to provide a fresh face for a new inscription matching the 1915 lettering style.

Custom Art Creation

Seitu Jones and George Roberts, both local artists with roots in Sumner Library, collaborated to create Sedimentary, a curved wooden art sculpture in the new entryway, highlighting the library's diverse cultural heritage through words and symbols. Some of the wood in the sculpture came from Sumner's original wooden bookshelves.

Capital Budget

Library Team

• Amy Ryan, Director of Partnerships and Development
• Nina Biddle, Project Manager
• Pam Nelson, Administrative Analyst
• Alex Wakal, Capital Projects Superintendent
• Ed Kowal, Capital Projects Superintendent
• Ellen Buskirk, Project Librarian

Design

KKE Architects, Inc.

• Mohammed Lawal, AIA, Principal
• Peter Sussman, AIA, Project Architect
• Sara Rothholz Weiner, Assoc. AIA, Interior Designer

Design Team:

• Jennifer Anderson-Tuttle
• Nancy Beaumont
• Alanna Blomberg
• Gustavo Ibarra
• Fred Kirschman
• Sheila Mozayeny
• Joe Sporrer
• Matthew Streed

Michaud Cooley Erickson

• Paul Dvorak, Craig Wurm, Mechanical Engineers
• Todd Daly, Electrical Engineer
• Lisa Chaput, Lighting Engineer

Clark Engineering

• Cory Casperson, Brett Klein, Kurt Berglund, Structural Engineers
• Corinne Kreklau, Civil Engineer

Dahlgren, Shardlow and Uban, Inc.

• Mike Konieczny, Landscape Architect

Hess Roise

• Marjorie Pearson, Historical Consultant

Construction

George F. Cook Construction Co.

• George Cook III, Project Manager
• Doug Kiekow, Project Superintendent

Sumner Library Staff

• Jerry Blue, Area Manager
• Dan Kelty, Librarian
• Laurie Simenson, Youth Services Librarian
• David McAloney, Library Aide III
• Jessica Nelson, Library Aide I
• Demita Workman, Library Aide I