Walla Walla Library renovation project reveals new design details
By Dan Thesman on Thursday, November 13th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla Library renovation project team provided the city council on Nov. 3 with an update on the building’s design evolution and a successful fundraising campaign. Lead architect Kate Weiland detailed the refined plans, which focus on creating a new, welcoming Great Hall entry off Alder Street and improving the main entry from the Poplar Street parking lot, which sees 75 percent of visitors.
Design Highlights and Feedback
The design retains and reimagines the existing East and West brick wings. Key updates include:
A 19-foot-tall Great Hall featuring cross-laminated timber (CLT) and light fixtures inspired by local Indigenous beadwork.
A dedicated 100-person community/program room with a glass sliding wall for flexibility.
Improvements to the Children’s Library include acoustic separation, a family restroom, and a meeting room with washable floors for crafts.
Relocating staff spaces to a centralized, self-contained area for better operations.
A recurring discussion point was the existing green concrete block wall. The team confirmed the wall is a permanent, structural element. Due to structural constraints preventing its removal and aesthetic concerns about painting it, the strategy is to acknowledge its current muted, taupe-green color and use neutral cladding on other new elements to make the Great Hall’s glass facade the new visual focal point.
The team has been consulting with the community, including artist Nano Lopez, to ensure the new plaza surrounding his “Matilde on Her Way to the Market” sculpture reflects the theme of her journey, possibly incorporating a “cow trail” effect in the concrete. The design also addresses climate control by adding a perforated mesh screen on the south side for sun and heat blocking.
Fundraising Success and Next Steps
The fundraising team announced significant progress, having reached 73 percent of the overall goal, raising $11.75 million of the $16 million budget. They have secured seven major naming opportunities so far, which range from $10,000 up to $500,000 for the Great Hall.
The team’s strategy is to reach 90 percent of the fundraising goal before asking the council to award the construction bid.
A groundbreaking ceremony is tentatively planned for March or April 2026.
The team also confirmed that the library will close for approximately one year for construction and is currently developing a transition plan to move core services and programs to a smaller, temporary space.
Design concepts via Walla Walla Public Library
