Design Profile: Folger Shakespeare Library Renovation And Addition

The renewal and expansion of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is the result of more than 10 years of planning to make the institution and its grounds more inclusive, experiential and welcoming. Research facilities, exhibition space and public spaces were renovated to provide greater access to the renowned collection. The original 1932 building, designed by Paul Cret, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Folger is adjacent to the Library of Congress and diagonally opposite the Supreme Court. It straddles the edge of the federal district and dense residential blocks. According to the library, the choice of site made a “bold statement in marble and wood: that the wisdom of literature and history are indispensable to the life of a democracy.” New entrance gardens bookend the site: Tapestry gardens replaced the open lawn to the east and a carport to the west, providing a moment of reflection as visitors move from the city down gently sloped ramps inscribed with words from Shakespeare into a previously hidden world, now revealed to all in a below-grade addition. According to senior leadership, “Even on days when the library is closed, there are people everywhere on the Folger’s grounds. There are few, if any, comparable intimate green spaces like it on Capitol Hill. It has become an urban common — not only a forecourt to the institution, but also a gathering space for the neighborhood and for visitors, animated by families strolling on the plinth and students studying in pockets of shade.”

PROJECT: Folger Shakespeare Library Renovation and Addition

LOCATION: Washington, D.C.
CLIENT: Folger Shakespeare Library

PROJECT SIZE: 51,620 square feet

PROJECT TEAM:

KieranTimberlake (Architecture and Planning)

OLIN (Landscape Architecture)

Studio Joseph (Exhibit Design)

Tillotson Design Associates (Lighting Design)

Shen Milson Wilke (Acoustical Design)

Pentagram (Graphic Design)

TYLin (Structural Engineering)

Altieri (MEP/FP Engineering)

Sorba Engineering (Civil Engineering)

Becker & Frondorf (Owner’s Representative)

Gilbane (General Contracting)

Alan Karchmer/OTTO (Photographer: 1,2)

Sahar Coston-Hardy | Esto (Photographer: 3,4)