The Julia Ideson Library in Houston, home of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center and part of the city’s public library system, has undergone a comprehensive restoration and expansion. A public-private effort, the project was spearheaded by architecture firm Gensler, construction management firm Balfour Beatty Construction, and landscape architects TBG Partners. Originally built by Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram in 1926, the library was expanded with a 21,500-sf wing, which includes research and reading areas and two-and-a-half floors of archives. A new exhibit hall and grand public reading room have been restored in the historic 66,000-sf interior.
Historic Houston library rejuvenated as a vibrant community resource
