Learn more about the Southdale Library project
The new build of Southdale Library provides an opportunity to improve accessibility, strengthen programming and partnerships, and showcase sustainable design at one of the busiest branches in Hennepin County.
Built in 1971, Southdale Library serves the residents of Edina, Bloomington, Richfield, and Minneapolis with its extensive collections, meeting spaces, and community-responsive programming. In addition to the Library, the 7.69-acre site previously also housed a Resident & Real Estate Service Center and district courts.
Learn more about the project, ask questions, and reach out to project staff.
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Southdale Library marks closure with preview of future
Hennepin County hosted a community meeting at Southdale Library Saturday, December 7, 2024, as part of a series of events to engage the public and share updates on the Southdale Library new build project.
Centering the community through design
The design of the new Southdale Library, developed by MSR Design, was informed by years of community engagement efforts including surveys and public meetings, and was created with community in mind. The design addressed site access and redevelopment; connection to people, amenities, and nature; sustainability; and partnerships.
Site access
Careful consideration was paid to the ways patrons will access the new Southdale Library. Safe and easy access points for buses, cyclists, pedestrians, and cars are reflected in the design. In addition to accessing the building itself, much thought was put into accessing library services. The new design allows better utilization of library space and street level service for easier access.
Bus, pedestrian, and bicycle access are integrated and safely organized in the site plan for the new Southdale Library. 
Bird’s eye view of the North entry plaza showing points of access. ConnectionThe new library will be a hub for creativity and lifelong learning. It will provide more opportunity for connection with additional study and meeting room space, as well as outdoor terrace and learning space, included in the new design.
Multi-purpose room with flexibility and adaptability to provide for different types of programming. 
Outdoor programming opportunity available on the children’s plaza. This rendering shows how the landscape might look 10 years after planting. As time passes, plants will grow and the plaza will fill in.
Outdoor terrace on level 2 with places for patrons to connect outside and take in views of the landscape.The site will also connect neighbors to the Edina Promenade, Adams Hill Park, and 9 Mile Creek through trail connections. The connection of the park and trail system will bring these activities to the front door of the library.
Southdale Library will be connected to the nearby park and trail system. 
A trail sweeps around to the South main entrance, just below the community terrace, providing access to the library via the regional trail system.Sustainability
The Southdale Library design includes a full redevelopment of the site, creating healthy environments for learning and engaging in community activities inside and outside of the building.
Sustainability work includes:
- Rainfall managed on site
- Rooftop solar panels collect energy from the sun
- Geothermal heat pumps heat the building
- High performance façade that will control glare and optimize interior daylight and comfort levels
- Native landscape provides a habitat for pollinators, improves air quality, and provides health benefits to patrons through time spent in nature
The design of the new Southdale Library integrates sustainability through native landscape, rainfall management on site, daylit spaces, healthy material palette, low-embodied carbon materials, solar array, and geothermal heat pumps. 
At the North entry, a wide plaza provides access for pedestrians approaching the library from York and 70th and for patrons using the surface parking lot. Drive-up and walk-up book drops are conveniently located near the entry. Glass doors provide views directly through the library and into the southern landscape, where a second primary entry and event plaza are located. Windows into the second level art classrooms provide views and natural daylight, while a high performing façade controls glare. 
South entry plaza with connections to trail and outdoor space. 
The site is designed as a “library of local landscape,” incorporating oak barrens, tallgrass and wet prairie, and freshwater marsh into the design. These plantings will be reparative and responsive to climate change. Partnerships
Hennepin County is partnering with Edina Art Center and Three Rivers Park District to bring art and trail connections to the site. Edina Art Center will have dedicated space in the Southdale Library building for an art gallery, gift shop, and classrooms on level 2.
A look inside at the atrium with technology and library collection, a multipurpose room towards the middle, main stair with large meeting room above, and art center space to the top left. 
Level 2 of the library includes a casual seating area along the community terrace, art gallery space straight ahead, and clerestory windows providing maximum daylight to the right. What’s next?
Southdale Library will close to the public Monday, January 6, 2025. Work immediately after the closure will include salvaging and removing materials before demolition begins. Demolition, groundbreaking, and construction will happen in the months following the closure. The project is expected to take around three years to complete.
Plans for a temporary holds pickup location are in the works. Details will be shared as they are finalized.
During the closure, patrons may visit nearby libraries, including:
- Edina(External link), 5280 Grandview Square, Edina
- Penn Lake(External link), 8800 Penn Avenue South, Bloomington
- Washburn(External link), 5244 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis
- Starting spring 2025, Augsburg Park(External link), 7100 Nicollet Avenue, Richfield
Project updates
Interested in receiving future updates on the project? Subscribe to the Southdale Library email list(External link) or visit the Southdale Library building project page.
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Plans for new Southdale Library building progressing
Hennepin County hosted a community meeting at Southdale Library Saturday, January 20, as part of a series of events to engage the public and share updates on the Southdale Library building project.
Southdale is the fourth busiest library in the Hennepin County Library system. This project provides an opportunity to improve accessibility, strengthen programming and partnerships, and showcase sustainable design at one of the busiest branches in the county.
Community engagement
Southdale Library serves residents in the south metro cities of Edina, Richfield, South Minneapolis, and Bloomington. Nearly 30% of Edina and Richfield residents are under the age of 18; a new library is a generational investment in learning, literacy, and enrichment. In addition to engaging with and gathering feedback from library patrons and county residents through surveys and community meetings, Hennepin County staff have also been meeting with local government agencies, including the cities of Edina and Richfield, to discuss plans.
Incorporating feedback into design
Community, local government, and staff feedback is important as plans progress on the Southdale Library project. We are incorporating feedback from the community as the new design is taking shape. The new Southdale Library will be a hub for lifelong learning and creativity. The space will be accessible, welcoming, include lots of natural light and outdoor/green space, and be connected to neighborhoods and public amenities. The project will include a local traffic study to ensure the new design will maintain ease of movement and safety for all visitors, no matter their choice of transit. The library will include defined areas for adult, teen, and children’s collections. It will also include small and large meeting rooms.
Sustainability remains a priority
The vision for the Southdale Library site is about library services, and so much more. The site will include renewable resources like solar and geothermal to help reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Several acres of the site will be returned to a more native state with native plants covering the landscape and promoting diversity of living species while supporting the surrounding natural environment. Landscape design will manage 95% of annual average rainfall, reduce stormwater runoff, and maximize porous paving (a paving treatment that allows water to flow through it). The landscape design will also provide outdoor learning and play opportunities for library patrons of all ages.
Project updates
Construction on the project is set to begin in mid-2025 with completion expected in late-2027.
Interested in receiving future updates on the project? Subscribe to the Southdale Library updates(External link) email list or visit the Southdale Library building project page(External link).
Site plan highlighting where the building will be located on the site, and how patrons will access the building. 
South landscape highlighting native landscape and library building in the distance. 
Northwest approach to the building. 
South entry space highlighting the welcoming, accessible, and light-filled library space. This rendering also shows the connection between the first and second floor.
Level 2 highlighting the second-floor. 
Children's area highlighting space for story time, collection, and connection to the outdoor learning space.
