By John Dobberstein, Editor
A week after voters approved $4 million to help replace the South Broken Arrow Library, officials announced the new facility will be named after the Warren Foundation.
The William K. Warren Foundation has gifted land in south Broken Arrow that will be home for the new library branch, which is expected to be open in 2028 as the William K. and Natalie O. Warren Library, the Tulsa City County Library system (TCCL) said.
Designed by Ethos Architects, the new branch will span 20,000 square feet, more that tripling the size of the current 6,000 library that opened in 1993. The branch will include a drive-up service window, an adult patio and a maker space, along with a children’s amphitheater.
There will also be collaboration spaces, flexible classroom space and a dedicated story-time room. The collection size will increase by 40%, which officials said is a significant boost for TCCL’s sixth-busiest branch.
The replacement of the South Broken Arrow Library will be the fourth project of four branches being rebuilt through TCCL’s “MY Library, OUR Future” campaign. TCCL has 24 total branches.
Additional donors to the William K. and Natalie O. Warren Library include McElroy Mfg., Helmerich & Payne, Jim Norton, Terry D. Cupp, Broken Arrow Community Foundation, the Judy Gayle Waters Trust, Hannah and Joe Robson, Tim and Carol Lyons, First National Bank of Broken Arrow, Arvest Bank, Security Bank and TTCU Cares Foundation, among others.
The project received $4 million from the recently passed BA GO Bond with 69% support.
“We are deeply thankful to Broken Arrow city leaders for their partnership and the citizens of Broken Arrow for passing the recent bond vote,” said TCCL CEO Kimberly Johnson in a statement. “This project highlights the collaboration between private donors and the public in a way that every resident of Broken Arrow can be proud.”
TCCL’s “MY Library, OUR Future” was a private fundraising effort led by campaign cabinet chairman Tim Lyons, and the campaign’s total goal for all 4 locations was $56 million. Naming opportunities are still available at Rudisill Regional, Eddy Gibbs and the William K. and Natalie O. Warren libraries.
“Seeing supporters from around our region come together to support this campaign has been inspiring,” Lyons said in a statement, adding the new Broken Arrow facility, “will be a spectacular culmination of this effort and one that the Broken Arrow community will surely love for decades.”
Those interested in supporting the project can learn more and make donations at mylibraryourfuture.org.
jim Thoma says
where?
John Dobberstein says
Just east of the current location at Aspen and 101st.