East Lake Branch Library to Reopen on Monday, June 2

File photo of East Lake Branch Library   

East Lake Branch Library to Hold Reopening Ceremony June 2

The East Lake Branch of the Birmingham Public Library will host a reopening ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 2, 2025.

📍 Location: East Lake Branch Library

#5 Oporto Madrid Boulevard

Birmingham, AL 35206

📞 Phone: 205-836-3341

"East Lake Library is reopening its doors - and I couldn't be prouder," Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement Wednesday. "Not just because it's another win for our neighborhoods, but because it reflects what we believe: access to knowledge should never be up for debate."

 

📚 History of East Lake Branch Library:

The East Lake Branch began its life in 1914 in a 25-by-50-foot room on the second floor of the East Lake Fire Station. In 1926, the City of Birmingham purchased land at #5 Oporto Madrid Boulevard from Sidney P. King for $10,000 to construct a new library building.

The Miller and Martin Architectural Firm was selected to design the building, modeled in part after the "new" Linn-Henley Research Library, which opened in 1927. The resulting structure—a two-story, Georgian Revival building—featured 8,000 square feet of usable space. It was constructed using the same stone and buff brick as the adjacent East Lake Fire Station. The new East Lake Branch Library opened its doors in 1928, near Barrett, Robinson, and Kirby Elementary Schools, Woodlawn High School, and Howard College (now Samford University, located in Homewood).

In 1937, the library became home to the now-famous Storybook Mural by Birmingham artist Carrie Hill. Commissioned by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the 27-by-9-foot mural was painted on canvas, with the WPA funding Hill’s labor and the library covering the cost of materials. The whimsical mural features beloved storybook characters—such as Little Red Riding Hood, Little Miss Muffet, Mother Goose, and the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland—marching along a path reminiscent of the "yellow brick road." Notably, Hill used her own likeness for the face of Mother Goose.

In the mid-1970s, fire and water damaged the mural, which hung in the Children's Reading Room. It was fully restored in 1993 by Birmingham art conservator John Bertalan.

To meet evolving service needs and space limitations, a $450,000 renovation took place in 1996–1997. When the branch reopened on February 10, 1997, visitors discovered several updates: the former stack area had become a glass-enclosed staff office and workspace, a ceramic tile floor was added around the oak circulation desk, and the walls featured a new color scheme inspired by the mural. The original oak furniture was refinished, and new raised oak workstations were installed.

The latest renovation of the East Lake Branch includes several major upgrades: the installation of an elevator and foyer, additional storage, new restrooms, an exterior emergency stairwell, and a much-anticipated revamped auditorium and stage—unused for the past 30 years.

Written by Roy L. Williams, Public Relations Director – Birmingham Public Library