LIVONIA, Mich. – The front doors of the former Alfred Noble Library in Livonia are decorated with hearts and photographs depicting people’s cherished memories of the space. The building was slated to be demolished in 2022, but grassroots community organizing put the city’s plan on pause.
In late 2019, the city closed the Alfred Noble indefinitely after finding mold and water damage. Plans to tear the building down were announced in 2022. Residents quickly rallied to oppose the demolition, forming a “Save Alfred Noble Library” Facebook group that evolved into a registered nonprofit Save Alfred Noble (SAN). Their rallies attracted the attention of Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan and other city leaders.
“While the Administration had considered demolition of the long-closed Noble Library building, we decided earlier this year to put a pause on the request, after hearing from the community,” Miller Brosnan said in a written statement. “The goals were to provide community groups a chance to develop and present alternative scenarios for renovating the building, including funding plans; provide time to meet with historical developers to determine feasibility of reuse; and provide time for the Livonia Library System Strategic Plan to begin gathering input. This pause is an opportunity to do our due diligence in the best interests of the community.”
Alfred Noble Library was one of three libraries in the city, but the only one on the south side. It was designed by Gunnar Birkerts, a prominent Latvian-American architect. The midcentury modern design features large windows that allow natural light to flood into the building. Livonia resident Lori Nersesian said the building was “iconic” in the area, as it mimics the architectural styles of surrounding homes.
“One, I love historic buildings,” Nersesian said. “Two, I feel that Livonia needs something like this for our community.”
When the library was open, it was an important place for community gatherings. Jeff Dutka, a former Livonia resident, remembers Alfred Noble Library as being an accessible safe space for him during his childhood.
“It was somewhere that I could ride my bike to,” Dutka said. “My friends and I would meet up here, we could hang out all day and not worry about a thing because, you know, we were just a stone’s throw from home.”
According to organizers, many community members were not aware that the city was planning to close the library for good in 2019. Dutka said that in turn, the city did not hear the residents’ desire to save the library, which led the group toward community action to uplift their neighbors’ voices.
“[We] went to the city and said, you may not have heard anything, but these voices exist,” Dutka said. “And they’re the people that live in this community people that have moved here because they love this the look of the park, they love the idea of being able to walk to a library and now those folks are being told that if their kids want to go to their local library, they got to ride three miles away on their bike across I-96.”
City Council President-Elect Brandon McCullough was one of the first to work with the group. McCullough wants to re-invent the space to serve the community’s needs. His proposal outlines plans for the Noble Facility and adjacent Sheldon Park. Inside the building, McCullough suggests an estimated $1.6 million internal renovation using sustainable industry methods, converting the building into an area for rentable meeting spaces and satellite city services. He also proposed renovations for Sheldon Park’s tennis courts and sports fields. Additionally, McCullough proposed paths through the park that would improve walkability and access to businesses outside the area.
Nersesian believes that McCullough’s work on City Council has helped support the desires of SAN. She would like the city to listen to residents and keep the Alfred Nobel Library and the park worthwhile for the community.
“Repurpose it, make it into a gem so that all types of people can use it,” Nersesian said. “Just something that brings this area together.”
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