Why Does Orlando's Library Look Like This? | Inside Florida's Most Unusual Library

Some people love this library, while others call it the ugliest buildings in the city. Hello my friends, this is Cathy. Orlando is so much more than Disney castles and roller coasters. As a library hunter, my first stop had to be this massive, brutalist library, occupying an entire city block in downtown Orlando. It really stands out from everything around it. Locals have mixed feelings about it, and honestly, I can kind of see why. It's one of Orlando's few architecturally significant buildings, but its bold concrete exterior isn't for everyone. The more I explored, the more I fell in love with it. From its striking, brutalist architecture to the welcoming spaces inside, Orlando Public Library became one of the most memorable libraries I've visited in Florida. From its striking, brutalist architecture to the welcoming spaces inside, Orlando Public Library became one of the most memorable libraries I've visited in Florida. Let's explore it together. Before this concrete landmark became Orlando's central library, there was a very different library here. Back in 1923, the city had a much more traditional library with classical columns and ornament, but Orlando was growing fast, and before long, it simply wasn't big enough. In 1966, architect John Johansson designed this library we see today. It looked unlike anything else in Orlando. Then in the 1980s, the library expanded again. Rather than changing Johansson's vision, the new addition continued the same brutalist form, allowing the library to grow while still preserving its original character. Brutalist architecture is not always known for feeling warm or inviting. It's actually a quite polarizing architecture style. This is not the kind of library building that you might imagine thinking of a library. It looks more like a concrete fortress, but inside, it's a place where people come to read, learn, and connect. That's what gives this library its warmth. Despite its name, brutalism isn't about being brutal. The term comes from the French biton bihit, meaning raw concrete. One of the defining features of brutalism is exposed concrete. At first glance, it just looks like concrete, but take a closer look and you will notice the subtle wood grain across the walls. Those are not decorative patterns. They're actually the imprint of the cedar boards used to shape the concrete more than 50 years ago. Instead of hiding those marks, the architect chose to leave them visible. This is one of my favorite details of this building because it adds on that handcraft touch to the concrete, giving it a bit more warmth and personality. One thing that surprised me was seeing such a visible LGBTQ plus collection. Given everything I've heard about book bans and challenges in Florida, I did not expect to see these. I remember last year watching The Librarians, a documentary about librarians in Florida and Texas fighting book bans and censorship. I guess that really shaped my expectations before coming here. Apparently, Florida isn't one single story. Orlando, at least from what I experienced here, feels quite different from some other parts of the state. Has your local public library changed much over the past few years? I'd be really interested to hear your experiences. As I was doing research for this video, I found out that this coming fall, the library is kicking off an $80 million renovation of the first floor and the main entrance, adding a new cafe and more flexible spaces for people to work and gather. All of these will be made possible by relocating the children's library. Personally, I thought the current children's area was already bright and welcoming. But with the building approaching 60 years old, it's pretty nice to see the library continue to evolve to meet the community's changing needs. I'm looking forward to see what the new children's space will look like. It was already dark outside, so I missed this nice view from the window. But having seen it in daylight from social media, I was really impressed by how bright and welcoming it feels. I don't know if that's part of the reason that they're repurposing this space. It really is one of the nicest spots of the ground floor. One place that really surprised me was the Melrose Center on the second and third floors. I have seen makerspaces and media labs in other major public libraries before, but this one is on a completely different scale. It's huge, about 26,000 square feet. In fact, it is so big that the library even created a self-guided tour. And then after the general orientation, you'll learn how to gain access to these resources, right? Okay. So this map will give you a few minutes to look around if you want to take a look around. And then when you're done looking around, if you have any questions, let me know. Okay, so I can just go inside and look around? I still think this is a very good sign of just how much there is to discover. There are recording studios, photography labs, makerspaces, flight simulators, game design stations, and it's all free with a library card. The library is just a few blocks west of the iconic Lake Eola Park. Unfortunately, it was already dark outside, but on a nice day, you should be able to catch some really nice scenic northwest and southwest views of Lake Eola and the downtown skyline. Disney chose Central Florida for its warm year-round climate, abundant undeveloped land, and easy access via major highways. Once Disney arrived, other theme parks soon followed, transforming Orlando into the theme park capital of the world. Today, millions of people visit Orlando for Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld, but this library was already here before any of them. It opened in 1966, five years before Walt Disney World, seven years before SeaWorld Orlando, and nearly a quarter century before Universal Studios Florida. This library belongs to an earlier chapter of the city's history, before Orlando became famous for castles and roller coasters. So this is Orlando Public Library. Bold architecture, creative spaces, and a community that brings it all to life. It's definitely one of the most unique libraries I've visited in Florida, but there are still more incredible libraries from this Florida trip coming soon, so stay tuned! Thank you so much for watching. I hope you enjoyed exploring another hidden gem with me. Until next time, happy library hunting! Bye!