A New Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library for Indianapolis

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis resided in a historic building on Senate Avenue until the late 2010s, when it outgrew its space amid the expansion of programs and exhibitions. The Library acquired a larger and newer building in 2017 on Massachusetts Ave., but it was subsequently found to have pervasive structural issues, and the Library was forced to abandon the site.

I was inspired to explore a hypothetical design for a new Vonnegut Library when I noticed a new building rising on a small site at the corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Bellefontaine Street. The lot was highly visible and distinguished by a 135-degree angle at the meeting of the two streets. It was also catty corner from Indy Reads Books, one of Indianapolis’s only independent bookstores and an anchor of literary culture in the city. The new building was not particularly compatible with its context, but it struck me that the site would have been perfect for the new library – a missed opportunity. By way of a counterproposal, I proceeded to design a limestone building for the small parcel that accommodated all of the requirements of the program for the new library – a primary space with shelves and reading nooks, a circulation desk, two major exhibition spaces, an auditorium/classroom, administrative offices, three restrooms, a gift shop, and an admissions counter. I expanded the program for the library to encompass a broader collection of 20th-century literature.