Toby Greenwalt

Reflecting the trend of flexible, mixed-use development shaping its own neighborhood, the Bayview Linda Brooks-Burton Branch of the San Francisco Public Library is a stunning example of how a library can honor a community’s history while laying out a path for its continued growth.

After 45 years of service, Madison’s Central Library building was on the eve of renovation. But, first, it needed a proper send-off. In early 2012, library administrators invited nearly 100 artists to invade the space, using interactive space design and gently used library materials to turn the then-empty building’s industrial husk into a 95,000 square foot temporary art gallery and party space. The ensuing celebration, called Bookless, served as the building’s Viking funeral, bringing 5,000 people together on a chilly February weekend to kick off the space’s metamorphosis.