Looking into downtown Phoenix from the Burton Barr Central Library

Burton Barr Central Library
1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85004
(602) 262-4636
phoenixpubliclibrary.org
Fashioned by Phoenix architect Will Bruder, the Burton Barr Library, the main branch in the city system resembles nothing less than a geographic mesa, with its soaring, copper-clad walls and rounded shape. Inside, skylights catch and reflect light in an ever-evolving show of color and shadow. “To understand where we are is to understand light,” says Mr. Bruder. “Sunlight is all around us, changing from hour to hour, season to season.” During the summer solstice on June 21, lenses installed in the skylights reflect flame-like colors down onto onlookers.
But what’s stuffed on shelves and waiting inside computer hard drives is even more impressive. Don’t miss the Arizona Room on the fourth floor, with its one-of-a-kind collection of pre-1900 census data, vintage telephone and city directories, high school yearbooks, and even military records from Fort Verde. And on the first floor, gathering spaces form the nucleus of community activity ranging from Hispanic award luncheons to meetings of the Native Hawaiian community and even the Ms. Wheelchair Arizona pageant. Library director Elaine Meyers notes that the library, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in May, has garnered many honors. The most unusual award the library has won was for its restrooms.