Demolition of the old Linden branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library will begin Wednesday at 3 p.m. with a “wallbreaking” ceremony.
“Sometimes you call it a groundbreaking. This will be kind of a wall breaking, because we are going to be knocking down the building and rebuilding on the same site,” said Columbus Metropolitan Library spokesman Ben Zenitsky.
The new Linden branch, located at 2223 Cleveland Avenue, will more than double its predecessor’s size at 27,000 square feet and will have a second story. The branch has an estimated price tag of $19 million.
Construction had been set to start in February, but was delayed. Zenitsky said Columbus Metropolitan Library hopes to cut the ribbon on the new building in 2025.
The old Linden branch is 12,700 square feet and was built in 2004.
The most popular books from its collections have been moved to a temporary library at 1990 Jefferson Avenue, next to the Linmoor Education Center. The branch's hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
"In the past, public libraries were built specifically to protect print materials. So, they were built as pretty much book vaults."- Columbus Metropolitan Library spokesman Ben Zenitsky
The Linden branch will be the 15th of Columbus Metropolitan Library’s 23 locations to get a major facelift. The previous project, the Reynoldsburg branch, is scheduled to have a grand opening at 3:30 p.m. next Wednesday after a roughly $21 million complete rebuild.
The new Reynoldsburg branch, located at 1402 Brice Road, was built on the site of the previous building, which was demolished in 2022.
A temporary Reynoldsburg branch, located at 1308 Brice Road, permanently closed on Saturday.
Zenitsky calls the Reynoldsburg branch and the soon-to-be new Linden branch 21st century libraries. He said they will be vibrant spaces, with more room for technology and meeting areas. He said these libraries aren't just about books.
“You know, in the past, public libraries were built specifically to protect print materials. So they were built as pretty much book vaults,” Zenitsky said. “Technology has come such a long way that we can really open these spaces up.”
Zenitsky said the library serves 23 unique communities in Franklin County and has been rebuilding and redesigning libraries with each community’s needs in mind.
