Apple on Saturday opened its newest location at the Carnegie Library on Mount Vernon Square. This is Apple’s most extensive historic restoration project to date, restoring and revitalizing the Beaux-Arts style building once home to Washington, D.C.’s Central Public Library. Originally funded by Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1903, the library will once again be a center for learning, discovery and creativity for the community, keeping with Carnegie’s vision of a public and free space for all.
According to Apple, The Carnegie Library will also host free daily Today at Apple programming, including sessions led by local artists and world class creators. To celebrate the opening, 40 artists will lead sessions during the six-week Story Maker Festival. At the store, customers can explore Apple’s latest products and work with over 225 highly trained staff members offering advice and technical support, as well as assistance for small businesses.
Whether customers come to explore new products, visit one of our Geniuses or unlock their creativity in a Today at Apple session, Apple Carnegie Library is a place for everyone. We are excited to share this magnificent space with all of our visitors in Washington, D.C., and to provide a home for inspiration for the next generation.
– Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail + People
Carnegie Library on Mount Vernon Square also features the new DC History Center, which includes the Kiplinger Research Library, three galleries and a museum store, all owned and operated by the 125-year-old Historical Society of Washington, D.C. To restore the building to its original grandeur, Apple worked with conservation experts to carefully preserve the historic facades, return interior spaces to their original footprints, and restore distinctive early 20th-century detailing. Foster + Partners worked in close collaboration with Apple’s Chief Design Officer Jony Ive to give this cultural icon a new lease of life.
I love the synergy between old and new, the juxtaposition of the historic fabric and contemporary design. In its ‘new’ phase of life, Apple Carnegie Library will be a way for us to share our ideas and excitement about the products we create, while giving people a sense of community and encouraging and nurturing creativity. It has been a significant honor to restore the Carnegie Library for the people of Washington, D.C.
– Apple’s Chief Design Officer Jony Ive
Courtesy – Apple
