Williamsburg’s downtown library building has been a fixture of the community for more than 50 years.
But the Scotland Street structure will only be around for about another year and a half after the city council on Thursday voted to replace it with a modern one nearby.
“I think it’s time,” said Mayor Doug Pons, reflecting on years of planning and public debate. “When we think about the library and all that it offers our residents, in all age groups, it is a place where it brings people together, and that’s what this community is about.”
The Williamsburg branch was built in 1973, prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and is difficult for people with mobility issues to navigate. It went through two additions, but by 2007 it became too small, and a significant portion of the building isn't accessible to the public. The building’s age also means it wasn’t built for data lines and needs upgraded utilities, according to Director Sandy Towers.
“When this building was built,” Towers said, “laptops, computers, the internet — none of that existed, and we couldn’t possibly even imagine what library services would look like either in 2026.”
The 50,000-square-foot building will be about 8,000 square feet bigger with double the parking.
Space is the only Library of Virginia standard that the Williamsburg Regional Library system doesn’t get top marks in. Between a new downtown building and a planned new branch location at James City County’s consolidated government center, the system will reach that top level.
But only “very briefly,” Tower said, until the library service area population grows to meet it.
The original estimated cost of construction was around $42 million in 2024. That dropped to $26 million in 2025 before ticking up to $31 million this year. The total surpasses $37 million, including furniture, technology purchases and the cost of design and reaches millions higher when accounting for interest.
The expense is a concern for several residents. The city has taken on multiple major capital projects in recent years, and some wanted to renovate the branch or replace it with a smaller, less expensive building. Davenport, the city’s financial advisor, has a plan to layer in the cost over two years and not surpass the city’s debt cap.
Council in October will hold a final public hearing before voting on the project’s financing. Library users will have until February 2028 to say goodbye to the building before demolition begins. Work will begin before that to tear down the old police station where the new library building is planned.
The new building won't be open until August 2028. Towers said the library is crystallizing plans to continue services during the six-month gap. The library used its bookmobile during its last major renovation in 1998. Leaders are also in talks with venues and community spaces about holding its book clubs and movie nights during that time.
