Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland, Ohio

Date: 1997 Stokes Wing, 1999 Main Library Restoration Size: 525,000 s.f.

Discussions regarding urbanism often center around one discourse - what is a proper response to an historic urban master plan? Should something new reflect the old or interject a spirit of the new. Some believe responsive design is sensitive to the surroundings, incorporating previous established patterns and precedents. Others argue only something new is appropriate and forward-thinking. The Cleveland Public Library demonstrates what Holzman Moss Architecture considers a more sophisticated and ultimately challenging approach - merging old and new in a thoughtful fashion.