Martin Luther King Jr.

Memorial Library
Renovation Project
Historic Preservation Review Board
22 January 2015
MLK

1 SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

2 SENDAI MEDIATHEQUE

ICONIC CITY CENTRAL LIBRARY

MLK

LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM CAFE

LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM AND PUBLIC SPACE

ICONIC CITY CENTRAL LIBRARY

MLK

DALLAS CITY PERFORMANCE HALL

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

LIVING ROOM

MLK

MOMA GARDEN, NEW YORK, USA

MOMA GARDEN, NEW YORK, USA

PUBLIC SPACE

MLK

HOOKE PARK SHCOOL OF ARCHITECTURE,

DORSET, ENGLAND

MAKERSPACE AT WESTPORT LIBRARY

WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT

MAKERSPACE AT WESTPORT LIBRARY

WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT

PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE

MLK

CHILDRENS AREA LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM

PS106, BROOKLYN

CREATIVE CHILDRENS SPACES

MLK

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM

INTIMATE AND COLLABORATIVE SPACES

MLK

AUDITORIUM AT SEATTLE PUBLIC LI-

ROOF TOP RESTAURANT IN LONDON

EVENT SPACES

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CHALLENGE
HOW DO WE CREATE A LIBRARY OF THE FUTURE WHILE
RESPECTING A HISTORIC LANDMARK?

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1 9TH & H STREETS LOOKING SW

2 10TH STREET & G PLACE LOOKING WEST

3 G PLACE LOOKING EAST

4 10TH STREET & G PLACE LOOKING EAST

6 11TH STREET & G ST LOOKING EAST

8 G STREET LOOKING EAST

EXISTING BUILDING PHOTOS

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1 9TH ST & G STREET LOOKING NW

3 SOUTH LOGGIA

2 SOUTH FACADE WEST WING

4 SOUTH FACADE EAST WING

EXISTING VIEWS IN CONTEXT

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MLK expresses key principles of Miess work,

including an exposed steel skeleton, curtain wall
technology, rectilinear forms, clear open spaces, and
a recessed loggia around the ground floor perimeter.

Mies van der Rohe is widely

acknowledged as one of the 20th
centurys greatest architects. By
emphasizing open space, new
assemblies and an honesty and
expression of materials, he helped
define modern architecture. His
architecture is based on classic
proportions and pure forms with
structure that generates uninterrupted
spaces.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Library is the one of few International
Style buildings in Washington, D.C.,
and the only one of Miess library
designs to be implemented.
Construction began a year after Miess
death in 1969, and the building was
completed in 1972. After his death,
it was necessary to revise the design
to respond to certain budgetary and
functional considerations.

MIES VAN DER ROHE AND HIS MODEL OF CROWN HALL,

ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CHICAGO

READING ROOM, MLK

SEAGRAM BUILDING LOBBY, NEW YORK CITY

GREAT HALL, MLK

In June 2007, the DC Historic

Preservation Review Board added
the property, including the exterior
building and plaza and the interior
public spaces on the ground floor
as an historic landmark to the DC
Inventory of Historic Sites. In the
same year, it was listed in the National
Register of Historic Places.

MIES VAN DER ROHE

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Dr. King ignited passion for social change and for

civil discourse. MLK was the first memorial to Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated in DC following his
assassination.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on

January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Both a Baptist minister and civil-rights
activist, Dr. King had a important
impact on race relations in the United
States, beginning in the mid-1950s.
Among many efforts, King headed
the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC).
SCLCs advocacy of boycotts and
other forms of nonviolent protest
played a pivotal role in ending the
legal segregation of African-American
citizens in the South and other areas
of the nation, as well as the creation
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the
Voting Rights Act of 1965. Dr. King
received the Nobel Peace Prize in
1964, among several other honors.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DELIVERS THE I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH

Dr. King was assassinated in

April 1968, and continues to be
remembered as one of the most
lauded African-American leaders in
history, often referenced by his 1963
speech, I Have a Dream.

KING MURAL AT MLK

LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES VOTING TO NAME THE BUILDING AFTER DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

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2 NATIONAL ARBORETUM VISITOR CENTER

1 HIRSCHORN MUSEUM

3 CAPITOL SKYLINE HOTEL

4 EAST WING OF NATIONAL GALLERY

5 WASHINGTON METRO

MID CENTURY MODERN

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2 GALLUP BUILDING

1 SITE

3 MLK DURING CONSTRUCTION

CONTEXT

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4 GREAT HALL ENTRANCE

1 MLK DURING CONSTRUCTION

VIEW FROM 10TH AND G STREETS

3 9TH STREET

5 GREAT HALL

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3 building types in American work:

high -rise skeleton frame

continuous column grid
cores in the heart
recessed ground floor with colonnade

low-rise skeleton frame building

continuous column grid
recessed entrance level
vertical connections to the sides
open heart in the building
transparency from the front to back

clear span building

columns in or even outside the facade

one uninterrupted space
all necessary shafts, cores and stairs reduced

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

regular grid of the skeleton frame building

recessed ground floor

entrance level colonnade

clear central span space inside

four cores of the building placed at edges of the

central clear span space
cores become a part of the ground floor facade

MIESIAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES

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A LEVEL

B LEVEL

SECOND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

FOURTH FLOOR

THIRD FLOOR

DESIGN GUIDELINES

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PUBLIC SCOPING PROCESS

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1 MARCH 2014 MEET THE ARCHITECT

6 MAY 2014 PPOJECT DEVELOPMENT MEETING

2 APRIL 2014 PUBLIC ROUNDTABLE

4 MAY 2014 STAFF PRESENTATION

3 APRIL 2014 PUBLIC ROUNDTABLE

5 SEPTEMBER 2014 PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS

7 NOVEMBER 2014 CONSULTING PARTY MEEETING 2

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS TO DATE

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The Martin Luther King Memorial

Library is not completed. It never will
be. Mies would not want it to be.
He carefully designed his buildings
as simple enclosures of space,
envelopes, if you will, for the life and
change within them.
Wolf Von Eckhardt, A Modern Masters Monument,
The Washington Post, August 19, 1972, p. C-1.

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FEDERAL CENTER
CHICAGO, USA

MLK LIBRARY ARCHIVES

WASHINGTON, DC, USA

IBM BUILDING
CHICAGO, USA

LAKE SHORE DRIVE APPARTMENTS

CHICAGO, USA

COMMONWEALTH APPARTMENTS
CHICAGO, USA

CROWN HALL IIT

CHICAGO, USA

NEUE NATIONAL GALERY

BERLIN, GERMANY

NEUE NATIONAL GALERY

BERLIN, GERMANY

LEMKE HOUSE
BERLIN, GERMANY

LANGE AND ESTERS HOUSE

KREFELD, GERMANY

STAIRS DETAIL, FACTORY

KREFELD, GERMANY

DOUBLE GLAZING SOLUTION IN

LEMKE HOUSE, BERLIN. GERMANY

BRICK AND WINDOW FRAME DETAIL, LANGE HOUSE

KREFELD, GERMANY

CURTAIN WALL IN STEEL

CHICAGO, USA

MIES RESEARCH

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THE LIBRARY OF TOMORROW

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CLEAR VISIBILITY FROM INSIDE TO OUTSIDE AND THROUGH SPACES, LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM , UK

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VISIBILITY TO ALL LEVELS, LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM , UK

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VARIETY OF MEETING SPACES, LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM , UK

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VARIETY OF EVENT SPACES, LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM , UK

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PUBLIC ROOF TERRACES, LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM , UK

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EXISTING

Option 1

Option 2

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR RECTILINEAR ENVELOPE

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE

ALTERNATIVES

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FIRST LEVEL PLAN (GROUND FLOOR)

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1 GREAT HALL

3 EAST READING ROOM

2 WEST READING ROOM DIGITAL COMMONS

4 LIGHTING PRINCIPLE

GROUND FLOOR

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GREAT HALL RENOVATION PROPOSAL OPTIONS

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EXISTING

Option 1

Option 2

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR RECTILINEAR ENVELOPE

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE

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Areas of Design Engagement

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

New Public Cores

Current Loading Dock Enclosure
Building Enclosure
Site Walls along G Place and 9th Street
Engaging G Place
Area between Church and MLK
Open floors East to West and North to South
Roof Terrace and Events Space

AREAS OF DESIGN ENGAGEMENT

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EXISTING VIEW FROM ENTRANCE

EXISTING VIEW FROM VESTIBULE TO WEST CORE

VIEW FROM ENTRANCE - OPTION A CORE

VIEW FROM VESTIBULE TO WEST CORE - OPTION A CORE

CORE OPTIONS

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EXISTING VIEW FROM ENTRANCE

EXISTING VIEW FROM VESTIBULE TO WEST CORE

VIEW FROM ENTRANCE - OPTION B CORE

VIEW FROM VESTIBULE TO WEST CORE - OPTION B CORE

CORE OPTIONS

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Areas of Design Engagement

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

New Public Cores

Current Loading Dock Enclosure
Building Enclosure
Site Walls along G Place and 9th Street
Engaging G Place
Area between Church and MLK
Open floors East to West and North to South
Roof Terrace and Events Space

AREAS OF DESIGN ENGAGEMENT

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EXISTING GREAT HALL

EXISTING LOADING DOCK

LOADING DOCK ENCLOSURE

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1 PROPOSED GREAT HALL

PROPOSED LOADING DOCK ENCLOSURE

LOADING DOCK ENCLOSURE

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Areas of Design Engagement

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

New Public Cores

Current Loading Dock Enclosure
Building Enclosure
Site Walls along G Place and 9th Street
Engaging G Place
Area between Church and MLK
Open floors East to West and North to South
Roof Terrace and Events Space

AREAS OF DESIGN ENGAGEMENT

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1 CURTAINWALL CORROSION

3 CRACKED GLASS AT CORNER OF WINDOW UNIT

5 FACADE DETAIL

6 FACADE DETAIL
2 WATER INFILTRATION THROUGH COLUMN ASSEMBLY

4 LEAKING FACADE

PRESERVATION ISSUES OF EXTERIOR ENVELOPE

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Areas of Design Engagement

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

New Public Cores

Current Loading Dock Enclosure
Building Enclosure
Site Walls along G Place and 9th Street
Engaging G Place
Area between Church and MLK
Open floors East to West and North to South
Roof Terrace and Events Space

AREAS OF DESIGN ENGAGEMENT

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1 EAST PARKING ENTRANCE RAMP

2 SITE WALLS

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5.

FIRST LEVEL PLAN (GROUND FLOOR)

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PUBLIC OUTDO0R PROGRAM

FIRST LEVEL PLAN (GROUND FLOOR)

ENGAGING G PLACE - OPTION 1

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ENGAGING G PLACE WITH PUBLIC OUTDO0R PROGRAM

FIRST LEVEL PLAN (GROUND FLOOR)

ENGAGING G PLACE - OPTION 2

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Areas of Design Engagement

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

New Public Cores

Current Loading Dock Enclosure
Building Enclosure
Site Walls along G Place and 9th Street
Engaging G Place
Area between Church and MLK
Open floors East to West and North to South
Roof Terrace and Events Space

AREAS OF DESIGN ENGAGEMENT

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SPACE BETWEEN MLK LIBRARY AND CHURCH BUILDING - VIEW 9TH STREET

SPACE BETWEEN MLK LIBRARY AND CHURCH BUILDING - VIEW G PLACE

FIRST LEVEL PLAN (GROUND FLOOR )

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Areas of Design Engagement

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

New Public Cores

Current Loading Dock Enclosure
Building Enclosure
Site Walls along G Place and 9th Street
Engaging G Place
Area between Church and MLK
Open floors East to West and North to South
Roof Terrace and Events Space

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EXISTING CORE STAIRWELL

EXISTING INTERIOR CORRIDOR LEVEL 2-4

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN

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THIRD FLOOR PLAN

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FOURTH FLOOR PLAN

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Areas of Design Engagement

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

New Public Cores

Current Loading Dock Enclosure
Building Enclosure
Site Walls along G Place and 9th Street
Engaging G Place
Area between Church and MLK
Open floors East to West and North to South
Roof Terrace and Events Space

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Option 1

Option 2

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR RECTILINEAR ENVELOPE

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE

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ROOF TERRACE PROPOSED

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2
3

AERIAL VIEW OF SITE

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EXISTING CONDITION - VIEW FROM VERIZON CENTER

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR RECTILINEAR ENVELOPE

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE

2
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EXISTING CONDITION - VIEW FROM G AND 12TH STREETS

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR RECTILINEAR ENVELOPE

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE

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EXISTING CONDITION - VIEW FROM 9TH STREET

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR EXTRUDED ENVELOPE

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE + 3 STORY ADDITION

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EXISTING CONDITION - VIEW FROM 9TH AND F STREETS

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR RECTILINEAR ENVELOPE

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE

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EXISTING CONDITION - VIEW FROM 9TH AND H STREETS

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR RECTILINEAR ENVELOPE

RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE

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RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR RECTILINEAR ENVELOPE

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RENOVATION WITH 5TH FLOOR CURVILINEAR ENVELOPE

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