Drivers passing the Kansas City Public Library's downtown parking garage can't miss it: a row of book spines towering roughly 25 to 26 feet tall and nine feet wide, stretching across the south facade like a bookshelf built for giants. Known as the Community Bookshelf, the installation has become a frequently photographed downtown landmark.
From Bank Vault to Book Wall
The Community Bookshelf traces back to the library's move into the historic First National Bank building, which the library acquired and renovated into its new downtown headquarters at 14 W. 10th Street, opening in April 2004, according to kclibrary.org. The former bank is now known simply as the Central Library, and the bookshelf display sits on the south side of its 480-car parking garage, which architecture firm BNIM and 360 Architecture, now HOK, designed, per the same account. As Kansas City Magazine reports in its piece, Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover, the Central Library sits at 14 W. 10th St. in Kansas City, Missouri.
The idea for the giant bookcase came from Jonathan Kemper, who suggested the bookcase theme, joined the library's board in 2001 and served as its president for 17 years, Kansas City Magazine notes. The project involved Dimensional Innovations, an industrial design company, along with two Kansas City-based architecture firms, the outlet reports.
Titles Across 22 Spines
Getting the titles right took public input. In December 2003, the library sought input from library staff and the larger community, and area residents submitted roughly 100 suggested titles, according to kclibrary.org's account. Selections had to meet specific requirements, including a Kansas City connection, classic status, a range of genres and overall diversity, the library's telling explains.
The finished wall has 22 spines featuring 42 titles, including To Kill a Mockingbird and Catch-22, per the same source. Two of those volumes are labeled Kansas City Stories and showcase multiple titles with local ties, among them Evan S. Connell's Mrs. Bridge and Buck O'Neil's autobiography, I Was Right on Time, kclibrary.org reports.
Borrowed Bindings, Digitally Reimagined
The book bindings themselves are not fictional flourishes; they are digitized images pulled from an actual rare-book collection. The design team spent a full day examining old books at the Linda Hall Library, using digital photography and printed images in the design, according to kclibrary.org's reporting.
The installation has racked up accolades, including the Best Structure Award from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute and Best of Show from the International Sign Contest, per the library's account. theclio.com calls it a frequently photographed downtown landmark.
A Downtown Fixture
The south-facing wall of spines remains the version most Kansas Citians know, a downtown fixture born from a bank renovation, a board member's idea, and a stack of borrowed bindings turned into public art.
