• Service Alert All Wichita Public Library locations will be closed Monday, February 17 in observance of Presidents Day.

Angelou Remodel

The Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library is currently closed for remodeling.

This branch library first opened at 3051 E. 21st in 1996. The branch had previously been housed at storefronts on 21st Street as well as in the City of Wichita's Atwater center. The Library's current master plan, titled Focused on Community: A Master Plan for the City of Wichita's Branch Library System 2019-2023 , calls for remodeling the interior and putting a small addition on the west side of the building. Groundbreaking took place on October 15. Construction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.

Construction Updates

  • February 7, 2025: The countertop for the new service desk has been installed. New light fixtures have been added over the desk. Tile has been placed in the vestibule and restrooms.
  • January 24, 2025: The large storefront window has been installed in the addition. New solid surface countertops are in the restrooms. The sliding door for the study room has been installed.
  • January 17, 2025: Drywall in the addition has been completed. Brick and stone have been added to the exterior.
  • January 3, 2025: More drywall has been hung. Cabinets have been installed at the new service desk and some new light fixtures have been installed.
  • December 20, 2024: More drywall has been hung, as well as some cabinets. The new storefront window has been installed between the meeting room and children's area.
  • December 13, 2024: Electrical work continues. New paint has been applied and new ceilings installed in some areas.
  • November 22, 2024: The restrooms have been demolished, drywall has been installed in the existing building, and the new addition has been framed.
  • November 15, 2024: The slab for the new west addition has been poured, as has a new portion of sidewalk outside the north end of the building.
  • November 1, 2024: The storefront framing and glass have been demolished. Interior walls have been framed and electrical work is in progress.
  • October 18, 2024: Work has included demolition of carpet and select interior walls, as well as removal of some ceiling tiles.

Newest Construction Photos

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Floor Plan

This design puts an addition on the west side of the building; changes the interior layout; adds a study room; and includes new flooring, furniture, lighting, and art.

A proposed floor plan of the Angelou branch library shows a small addition on the west side of the building, a relocated service desk, a study room, and relocated material stacks and computers.

Artwork

A call for professional artists received 138 submissions for ten new art pieces to be created at the Alford, Angelou, and Rockwell branches. Funding comes from the Percent for Art Ordinance and the City of Wichita's Capital Improvement Plan. In 2019, the Wichita City Council approved an ordinance that allotted 2 percent of capital improvement funds to a pool of funding allocated for the commissioning of on-site artworks that then become part of the citywide art collection. The administration of the Percent for Art Program is overseen by the Design Council, an 11-member advisory board.

The selected artists have been refining their concepts and presented to the Design Council in January and February 2025.

Artwork at the Angelou branch will include:

  • Front desk glass graphics by Armando Minjarez (Wichita) and Gleo (Bogotá, Colombia): translucent window graphics in warm colors with a design inspired by Maya Angelou
  • Exterior signage by Ellamonique Baccus (Newton) and Priscella Brown (Wichita): large three-dimensional letters in the colors of the Divine Nine
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