The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library History
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library History


The world-famous architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was commissioned to design the structure, and ground was broken at 9th and G streets in July 1968. By action of the Board of Library Trustees in 1971, the new building was named in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Constructed of matte black steel, brick and bronzed-tinted glass, the building cost about $18 million and provides 400,000 square feet of floor space on four floors above ground and three underground levels. Designated a historic landmark on June 28, 2007, the city’s central library houses public service areas, including subject divisions, meeting rooms and exhibition space, as well as the administrative and support services for all public libraries in Washington, D.C.
Learn more about the recent modernization of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.