Main Library to Be Closed an Additional Month

The Nashville Public Library’s main location downtown will remain closed through July 28 following a fire in the adjacent parking garage earlier this month. 

The library announced the extended closure in a press release, noting that assessment found more than 90 percent of the building sustained a light impact from soot and smoke as a result of the early morning fire on June 10. This level of impact is defined when residue can be found on a surface, though so minimal that it cannot be differentiated from dust at first glance. 

Less than 10 percent of the building sustained a moderate or heavy impact, with the conference center area on the building's first floor being the most affected. A moderate impact means a surface is still visible through soot, while a heavy impact occurs when a surface cannot be seen through soot. 

The release notes that air quality within the facility, located at 615 Church St., has returned to normal and monitoring will continue throughout the restoration process. Ninety-nine percent of books and materials at the downtown branch will be fully restored with light cleaning. 

Library officials say restoration efforts are underway and experts are evaluating artwork and additional assets within the building. Immediately following the fire (see the parking garage here), restoration crews began working 24 hours a day to assess the five-story, 300,000-square-foot library facility, the release notes.

The remaining Nashville Public Library branches remain open across Davidson County.

This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.