Washington Park
Named for the park it borders, the Washington Park Branch officially opened Saturday, April 12, 2003. It replaced Finney Library (4243 W. North Ave.), which was built in 1953 and had served the community for 50 years.
Washington Park Branch library offers the following:
- Services
- Wi-Fi
- Fax
- Scan station
- Copying and printing
- Expanded collections for children, teens and adults
- Large meeting room and smaller conference room
- Curbside service
- Mobile printing
- Self-service holds pick-up
- Express check-out
- Over 47,000 items in the collection
- Sun-drenched seating near expansive windows with a view of Washington Park
- A variety of weekly programming for all ages, including story times, resume help and more
- Computers and technology access
- Makerspace featuring a variety of equipment and technology, open regularly for Open Maker Time, individual appointments, special events, and class visits
Features
- At 20,540 sq. ft., Washington Park is the second largest branch library, behind Mitchell St. branch (23,000 sq. ft.)
- “Green” parking lot and rain garden
- Geothermal well system, which is used for both heating and cooling, funded in part by a grant from Wisconsin Focus on Energy.
- MEGAPHOR sculpture in the lobby: a glass and aluminum sculpture by artist Steve Feren. The colorful piece, weighing approximately 400 pounds, consists of more than 160 mold-blown and free-hand-blown glass objects. The megaphone symbolizes libraries, accumulating and storing knowledge for broadcast. The artwork was funded through a grant from the Milwaukee Arts Board.
Also of interest: the bronze statue of Baron Frederick von Steuben, which stands outside the library, was commissioned in 1921 by the Steuben Society to commemorate the German hero of the American Revolutionary War. Over the years the statue, sculpted by Swiss-born artist J. Otto Schweizer, has become a Washington Park landmark.
Learn more about the history of the Washington Park Branch on the Now@MPL Blog.