Hialeah residents are challenging an $8 million proposal to convert part of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library into a history museum. As described in the Miami Herald's reporting, the plan would place the museum in the center of the building's first floor and move library operations to a second-floor mezzanine roughly a third the size of the current main floor. Residents say that would reduce space and services at a facility serving more than 82,000 people.
The proposal originated with Mayor Bryan Calvo's administration. According to the Miami Herald, the city would eliminate all 18 part-time positions across its library system starting Oct. 1. Affected employees could apply for other city jobs, but the city has not guaranteed transfers. Officials have not released a detailed blueprint showing how the project would change the existing library.
What the Museum Could Look Like
City official Jose Torres told the Herald that the museum concept would occupy the center of the first floor. He said the $8 million estimate was based on the building's square footage and renovation spending in other municipalities. The museum could feature antique cars owned by the city, photographs and paintings. Options under consideration for the exterior include replacing concrete walls with glass and lighting, while some of the library's 22 murals could be removed.
Calvo wrote on Instagram, as reported by the Herald, that the renovation would modernize the library and improve residents' experience. He has also proposed adding a coffee shop.
A Petition Gains Momentum
A Change.org petition urging the city not to reduce the library's space and services for the sake of a museum had attracted more than 380 signatures and 11 comments as of Monday afternoon, per the Herald's reporting. The petition names Calvo and City Council members as the decision makers on the project and calls for the JFK building to be preserved as a full-service public library, with protections for its collection and staffing. It also asks for community involvement in any changes to the historic building and says the city should listen to the people who use the library every day.
Residents interviewed by the newspaper expressed differing views. Gelien Perez, who said she used the library for school projects as a child, told the Herald she wants the renovated facility to remain useful to children and families. “I just want to make sure we still offer for the kids to go and do their homework,” she said. Monica Perez supported putting a museum in part of the library and adding a cafeteria, but questioned whether early voting would have to move during construction.
Longtime Users Warn of a Cultural Loss
Other residents interviewed by the Herald opposed reducing the library's role. Walter, who said he traveled to the City of Miami library at Bayfront Park for school books before the JFK branch opened in 1965, said that “if it's reduced to being a museum, its usefulness will drop to zero.” Rafael cited the library's use by younger and older residents and objected to spending $8 million while Hialeah's infrastructure is crumbling. Annenrys also urged the city to preserve the library and consult its users.
The JFK Library opened in 1965 and houses Hialeah's growing history collection. The Herald reported that it receives more than 140 visitors on a typical day and that the library system recorded 227,579 visits last year. The facility offers books and digital resources, computers and Wi-Fi, study rooms, educational programs, English and citizenship classes, immigration assistance and passport services; it has accepted passport applications since 2024. It also serves as an election precinct.
What Library Planning Documents Show
The proposed changes would affect services that Hialeah Public Libraries identifies as part of its systemwide access mission. According to the Hialeah Public Libraries Long Range Plan FY 2025–FY 2030, the system provides free services for residents of all ages, including physical and digital collections, technology access, ESOL and citizenship classes, computer and digital-literacy workshops, storytelling and STEM/STEAM programs. Those offerings address access to information and technology as well as language, citizenship, school-support and continuing-education needs; the plan does not identify the JFK branch as serving only one demographic.
City Council Vote Looms
The Hialeah City Council is expected to make a final decision on the $8 million proposal, with the funding allocation slated for a second-reading vote on Monday and site work preparation planned to begin Oct. 1. As reported by the Miami Herald, there is still no final blueprint for the project, leaving residents uncertain exactly how much of the library's footprint, collection and murals would ultimately survive the overhaul.
Not everyone wants the museum kept out of the library building entirely. Resident Milly Herrera has suggested locating a museum at Hialeah Park instead, according to the Herald, so that the JFK building would not have to give up space to accommodate it. For now, the city's library system — which includes newer facilities such as the Hialeah Gardens Branch Library, completed in 2021 as the newest building in the Miami-Dade system — awaits word on whether the JFK branch will retain its full role as a neighborhood library or shrink to make way for Hialeah's history exhibits.
