The Parker Hill Branch Library will reopen on July 28, according to Boston Public Library.
The City and BPL will host a ceremony with Mission City Councilor Josh Zakim, BPL President David Leonard, and others at 10 a.m. on July 28. The library’s programming will resume at the branch following the reopening, including summer reading events. For more information, visit bpl.org.
The library closed last July to undergo a $2.4 million renovation to address a series of façade and exterior problems to prevent leaks in the building. The renovation also includes interior painting, plaster repairs, masonry repairs, and window replacement.
The Parker Hill Branch began in 1907 as a small reading room at a storefront at 1518 Tremont St. It became an official BPL branch in 1924 and moved to its present location at 1497 Tremont St. when Mayor James Michael Curley opened the building in 1931. The 10,200-square-foot, two-story Gothic building was designed by the famed architect Ralph Adams Cram.
It is the second time the library has closed for a renovation in the past 15 years. The library was closed for a year in 2005 to undergo a renovation that included installing a ramp and elevator, to make the building handicap accessible. A few years before that, the Friends of Historic Mission Hill filed a petition with the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) to landmark the building. The BLC voted unanimously to accept the petition, which is still pending. That requires any work to be done on the building be approved by the BLC.