Moorhead Community Center & Public Library

Implementing a new vision of the city, the town of Moorhead in Northern Minnesota is sanctioning the first development of the downtown’s revitalization plan: a community center public library. A holistic new resource that will include a civic park along with its mixed-use offerings, the community center library will be a place for people to recreate and connect with one another.

The community center library is organized around diverse activity zones all under one roof, each of which is visible from the outdoors, with the Living Room and the section for “Hot and New Books” creating an inviting vibe from the street. A community room and a physical play space for all ages will face the future park with expansive windows connecting the indoors to the outdoors. A walking loop that runs along the upper level will provide 360-degree views, enabling patrons to see every corner of the city, as well as the Red River that flows around it.

Spanning over 40,000 feet, this project holds immense promise for the City of Moorhead. Poised as a driving force for the realization of a dynamic and interconnected downtown, the new Community Center Public Library will serve as a focal point for the expanding population, working to not only reconnect the city, but to revitalize dormant public spaces, and to usher in a phase of growth and transformation.

Acoustic dowel-laminated timber was selected for its acoustic attributes, reduced carbon footprint, and the natural warmth that only wood can provide. Using mass timber in this flagship project aims to inspire future phases of development to consider mass timber as a sustainable and viable option.