The Delhi Township Branch Library on Foley Road will close for good on August 29, ushering in a roughly $18 million teardown-and-rebuild project that will bring the West Side branch a drive-thru window, a makerspace and an expanded kids area. While the new building rises on the same site, library operations will shift into a lodge behind the current facility so patrons do not lose access to books and services altogether.
The closure and rebuild were first reported by Local 12, which detailed plans for study rooms, community rooms and other upgrades set to replace the aging structure. According to the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, the project carries an estimated total budget of $18 million, with Emersion Design handling architectural work, J.S. Held serving as the owner's representative, and Turner Construction overseeing construction.
Temporary library services will operate out of 5121 Foley Road, inside a lodge building situated behind the existing facility, with the physical move expected to take seven to 10 working days once the current branch shuts its doors. The temporary space sits on township-owned property, giving Delhi Township residents a nearby stopgap while the main building comes down and goes back up.
What the New Branch Will Look Like
Design plans for the replacement facility call for direct parking lot connections to the adjacent community park, a reading area with park views, and a community gathering space alongside the drive-thru service window. The current 1968 structure will be completely demolished to make room for what the library system is calling a Next Generation Library, and construction is set to begin once demolition wraps up.
Before any of that happens, the library is throwing a send-off. A farewell and customer appreciation event is scheduled for August 22 at 10 a.m. on the library's front lawn, featuring architectural renderings of the new building, a Honey Hill Petting Zoo, face painting, and a chance for residents to weigh in on the future children's playscape.
Nearly 80 Years of Library Service in Delhi Township
Public library service in Delhi Township dates back to 1949, when it operated inside Delhi Public School, before a dedicated Foley Road facility opened in January 1968. That building was later expanded by nearly 5,000 square feet in 1999, an addition that included a glass reading room and enhanced landscaping. The upcoming demolition closes out roughly 77 years of continuous library presence in the township.
The rebuild is being financed through a 1-mill property tax levy that Hamilton County voters passed in 2018, generating approximately $19 million annually over 10 years, according to WVXU. That levy marked the library system's first budget increase in nearly two decades and now underpins a roughly $190 million countywide facility overhaul.
Part of a Larger, System-Wide Overhaul
The Delhi Township project is one piece of the library system's 10-year Facilities Master Plan, running from 2019 to 2028, which aims to upgrade, expand, or modernize all 41 branch locations across Hamilton County. Before the plan launched, the average branch had gone more than 40 years without a major renovation. As of March 2023, the system had completed major updates or expansions at 10 branches — including quadrupling the size of the Deer Park branch — with eight more under construction and three in active planning, per the same WVXU report.
The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library serves a county population exceeding 800,000 people across those 41 locations, with a collection of more than 9 million items, making it one of the largest public library systems in the country. The system also delivers more than 20,000 free community programs each year.
The library rebuild also lands amid a broader wave of public investment in Delhi Township. A $37 million, 91,000-square-foot recreation center and administrative complex was completed in the township in 2024, with Turner Construction serving as builder on both that project and the new library. Construction on the replacement library branch is targeted to finish before the end of 2027, though exact opening dates for the temporary lodge location and final design approvals remain open questions as the project moves forward.
