Vienna's Library Renovations Set For 2025, Temporary Location Identified

VIENNA, VA — Patrick Henry Library will soon undergo a transformation and renaming and get the addition of a public parking garage. In the meantime, a temporary location has been identified to serve library patrons.

According to the August Vienna Voice newsletter, construction on the library at Center Street and Maple Avenue will start in spring 2025. Patrick Henry will remain open until construction, then it will be renamed Vienna-Carter Library and move to a temporary location at the Cedar Park Shopping Center.

In addition to providing a larger 19,000-square-foot library, the project includes a parking garage with 125 parking spaces for the library and 84 public parking spaces. The Town of Vienna is sharing the cost of the parking garage with Fairfax County due to the public parking spaces.

A library bond referendum approved by Fairfax County voters in 2020 is funding the project. Patrick Henry Library was first built in 1971 and was renovated in 1995. According to the county, the building systems and infrastructure are outdated, and the library's current layout does not meet programming needs. Along with a larger library, the facility will have an outdoor reading and gathering space and flexible community space available beyond library hours.

Earlier this year, the Fairfax County Public Library's Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to rename Patrick Henry Library to the Vienna-Carter Library. The name honors the Carter family, a multiracial family with roots in Vienna and Fairfax County history. One member of the family, William McKinley Carter was a charter member of the Fairfax County NAACP and helped establish an integrated county library branch in the Town of Vienna.

SEE ALSO: Patrick Henry Library To Be Renamed Honoring Family's Role In Integrated Library