Library renovations bring innovation and family into focus

The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library is currently amidst an extensive renovation project that addresses both critical maintenance and repairs and exciting updates that will bring interior spaces in line with the community’s twenty-first-century needs. 

Construction began with roof repair in September of this year. Though the roof was originally slated to undergo repair in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the flooding in the region, derailed the timeline. The cost of building materials skyrocketed, and the basement needed immediate remediation and repair, so the roof project was put on the back burner. 

In 2024, the library began to take bids on the roof project again due to leaks in multiple areas of the building. Unfortunately, they quickly found that prices had not come down to pre-pandemic estimates, with most bids coming in between 1.2 and 1.6 million dollars, according to Library Director Miriam Andrus. 

“Luckily, there was one company that came in way under bid. They had some materials from a project where another company had backed out of it, so they said, ‘Hey, we’ll do the roof project with these materials that we have, and we’ll do it at a discount,’” Andrus says. “It was the best-case scenario. So instead of spending $1.6 million on the roof like we thought we were going to, we ended up spending only $650,000.”

The roofing project coincided with renovations happening at both Midland Center for the Arts and Dow Gardens, so library services temporarily moved to Midland City Hall this fall, where patrons would have room to park and come in for services. When roof installation was completed in mid-November, staff and services moved back into the library.

Renovations have not been limited to the roof, however. With substantial projected savings on the roof project, Andrus approached city leaders in 2024 to inquire about completing additional interior renovations. After the city completed a facility study, several ideas were revealed that would make the library more useful and user-friendly for the community, many of which were already on Andrus’s radar.

In the end, the Midland City Council gave the library $400,000 to use toward four main interior renovations: the relocation and expansion of the Modern Innovation and Design makerspace (MidLab), the creation of a dedicated “tween” space, the shifting of local history and genealogy materials to a more climate-controlled space on the second floor, and the construction of additional meeting and tutoring spaces—complete with noise reduction—within the library. 

Andrus also teased that there will be a surprise facelift happening on the lower children’s level, in addition to the creation of kitchenette space for families.

The Friends of the Library have also been incredibly generous when it comes to added touches, Andrus notes, including new furniture throughout the library. Barring any delays, the renovations are set to be complete for an open house reveal the week of February 23, 2026.

Despite all the projects happening within the library, Andrus emphasizes that it still remains open for all programming and services, though they are currently confined to the first floor. “Pretty much anything that you could do before the renovation, you can still do–we’re just more limited on space. If anybody needs materials that are located somewhere else in the building, they (staff) can run and grab them.”

The library will be closed December 22-26 for new shelving and end panel installation. Programming, such as movies, will still be held in the auditorium. To stay informed on current programming and construction updates, patrons are encouraged to visit the library’s website for the most up-to-date information.