MLK Jr. Public Library
MASS’s design proposal for the Cleveland Public Library’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch reimagines the library as a vibrant community hub that honors Dr. King’s legacy through storytelling, learning, and connection.
LDA Architects partnered with MASS to submit a proposal for the MLK Library Design Competition, which called for “an architecturally innovative and iconic design” to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and serve Cleveland’s University Circle community. The proposed design features an auditorium and large, flexible spaces for community gatherings, as well as a dedicated area for the Anisfield-Wolf Collection—a literary archive honoring works on race and equality, awarded annually by the Cleveland Foundation. As part of the design process, MASS and LDA participated in a community forum and interviews to engage local voices.
The two-story building is conceived as a three-dimensional expression of the “crossroads” quilting pattern, laid out in a diagonal grid. These patterns evoke the encoded symbols used to guide travelers along the Underground Railroad, with Cleveland serving as a major crossroads on the path to freedom. Draped over the pleated glass form is a faceted, colored glass “garment” that serves as both a rain screen and a shading device. This garment features the “Flying Geese” symbol, selected in collaboration with artist Hank Willis Thomas through MASS’s research and design process.
The fabric metaphor draws inspiration from Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, in which he wrote, “All of life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This concept of a shared fabric—one that binds, protects, and warms—serves as the foundation for the building’s design narrative.
At the heart of the library, the Anisfield-Wolf Collection is housed in a striking, sculptural space visible from both main floors. The collection includes story booths where visitors can listen to and share stories inspired by the authors and themes it features. The landscape design extends the “quilted garment” language into the outdoor plaza, where sculptural busts of Anisfield-Wolf authors and local leaders animate the courtyard and invite reflection.
