Alexandra Lange previews Boston Public Library Johnson Building Renovation

Celebrated critic and Loeb Fellow Alexandra Lange’s “The Tale of Two Modernist Libraries,” for Architect, is about the re-visioning of two American landmarks. Philip Johnson’s Boston Public Library building and Mies van der Rohe Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. — both completed in 1972 — are both being updated to better serve today’s urban populations. Lange considers the merits and details of each proposal.

Reed Hilderbrand is collaborating with architects William Rawn Associates to design an ambitious streetscape at the Boston Public Library, which extends the newly renovated interior volume onto the sidewalk. The design uses paving, mature trees and suspended lighting to create an outdoor room with custom furnishings including a 25’ long “civic table”. Look for more updates as the project is expected to be completed next summer.