Downtown Library Renovation Project
In 2022, the City of San Rafael successfully secured two California State Library grants to address some of the most pressing infrastructure and safety issues in the Downtown Library building. This includes fixing the roof, upgrading plumbing and electrical to meet code, installing a fire alarm system, ADA improvements, repairing the HVAC system, and some minor design improvements to enhance the patron experience.
The preliminary designs for this project were presented to the Library Board of Trustees at the July 2023 meeting, with the final designs presented at the May 2024 meeting . This project is supported by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
The Downtown Library closed for construction in September 2024 and opened a pop-up location at 1009 4th Street to continue to provide library services downtown during the closure. For more information on the pop-up location, please click here.
Construction was completed in Summer 2025, with the Downtown Library set to reopen on August 4th.
While this project is critical to ensuring that the current Downtown Library building remains operational, did not address the need for additional, modern library space to better serve the needs of San Rafael’s current and future residents. For more information on the City’s efforts to evaluate options for a new/expanded downtown library, please see this page.