The Nashville Public Library’s main location downtown will remain closed beyond July 29 — the original date eyed for reopening — after the facility suffered damage from an early-morning fire that started in an adjacent parking garage in June.
Library officials say in a press release that a team of restoration experts and engineers advised the library to extend the closure of the downtown location to allow for independent safety verification experts to conduct a review.
The release notes that the timeline for the reopening of the facility, located at 615 Church St., remains fluid.
Pictures indicate several canisters’ worth of flammable gas could have fueled blaze that damaged Metro’s downtown library garage
“We look forward to welcoming everyone back at the Main Library as soon as restoration experts tell us it is safe to reopen,” NPL director Terri Luke says in the release.
“Meanwhile, we are committed to serving our customers with free programs, helpful services, and access to the NPL collection at our branch locations across Nashville.”
According to an investigation, the fire originated in a storage area of the fourth-floor of the parking garage where several flammable gas containers were found.
The Nashville Downtown Partnership leases the parking garage and previously pointed toward beautification contractor Block by Block, which used the area to store equipment and supplies.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
