Pratt City Library
The Pratt City Library (or Birmingham Public Library Pratt City Branch) is a branch of the Birmingham Public Library located at 1100 Hibernian Street on the corner of Dugan Avenue in the North Pratt neighborhood of Pratt City.
The original Pratt City Library was located in the former Pratt City Hall in 1921. A dedicated building was constructed at 820 2nd Street, in 1963. A new library opened at the present site on September 12, 1993. The 8,140 square foot facility was designed by Davis Architects and constructed for $650,000. The library houses the Pratt City Historical Archives with displays of local artifacts and its children's library features a mock streetcar and other reminders of Pratt City's history. The library also has a 75-seat community meeting room and a conference room available by reservation.
The library was heavily damaged during the April 2011 tornado outbreak. Librarians removed most of the materials before they were lost to the elements. Those that had been exposed to water were cleaned and dried by a professional contractor. It was initially presumed that the structure itself was unsalvageable, but engineering studies determined that much of the building could be safely restored and reused.
Fusion Architecture of Baton Rouge, Louisiana was selected by Mayor William Bell's office to provide construction documents for restoration and renovations, including a new safe room for severe weather. The $120,000 contract was rejected by the Birmingham City Council after Valerie Abbott asked why Davis Architects and other local firms weren't considered for the project.
References
- Ruisi, Anne (June 1, 2011) "Pratt City library, archive items survive storm." Birmingham News
- Wolfson, Hannah (October 18, 2011) "Plans on hold to rebuild Birmingham library branch destroyed by tornado." Birmingham News
External links
- Birmingham Public Library Pratt City Branch web page
- photographs of tornado damage at Flickr.com