One of seven branches in the Douglas County Libraries system, the new Castle Rock branch complements other locations while creating a design and presence unique to its community. The building replaced a 46-year-old former Safeway store that had been used as the library for nearly two decades. The new branch is 17,000 square feet larger, with 42,000 square feet of dedicated library space. The space also includes the district’s administrative offices, the archives celebrating local history, and its collections.

Located within the Downtown Overlay District of Castle Rock, the library seeks to urbanize the street frontage, provide pedestrian connectivity, and leverage transparency to reveal program spaces within. The form of the building is derived from site circulation patterns and urban relationships. Overhangs and plaza environments welcome the community and create versatile outdoor program spaces.

The exterior is contextually appropriate to Castle Rock and presents a streamlined and modernized interpretation of Douglas County Libraries’ standard finishes and materials, including brick and wood soffits. Warm corrugated and flat weathered steel cladding, used in other adjacent civic buildings, recall the Colorado landscape and Western vernacular. The weathered steel shell of the building is contrasted by a cool, fresh, and bright interior that speaks to modern library programming and shoulder-to-shoulder service. Features of the new library include 220 parking spaces; a drive-through book return; interactive children’s play space; outdoor patios and community spaces; high-tech, multi-use meeting, event, and study spaces; and other amenities to serve residents into the future.

Our Library works together toward some tall, community expectations:

• Premium libraries, delivering more than the expected.
• Infusing touches of magic into everything we do;

OPN has walked with us transforming our facilities to meet those descriptors – against tight budgets and competing demands. They consistently set aside ego to align and strengthen our brand instead of theirs. We’ve more facilities work in our future and we plan to sustain our vital and successful relationship with OPN.

– Bob Pasicznyuk, Executive Library Director