Branch History
In April 1963 the Judson Street School PTA requested that the library open a branch near the school. The board included the project in an upcoming bond issue, which funded the construction of the branch. The Atkins Branch at 2709 Hassett St. formally opened to the public on September 26, 1965. The land on which it was built was part of a parcel donated by John B. Atkins for a city park so the branch was named for him. This building was 3,700 square feet in size. The building’s roof was replaced in 1982, and shelving was added several times over its life span. The Atkins Branch replaced the older Queensborough Branch, a much smaller building located in the same area.
The library’s 1996 capital tax issue provided funding for a new Atkins Branch building, located at 3704 Greenwood Road. This building is 9,750 square feet in size and was designed by Richard S. Kravet and Cynthia Dubberly of Manning Architects. It opened to the public on October 22, 2006. The building’s important features are a huge bank of windows facing the view on the north side of the building, and the aquatic and nautical theme of its interior design, inspired by its location near Cross Lake. Cost of the building was $2,800,813.
