Four stories and 114,130 square feet of public space make up the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, the Metropolitan Library System's flagship. Up close you can appreciate that this is a four-story, 114,130 square-foot building opened on August 17, 2004. Its name honors former mayor Ron Norick; the building itself cost approximately $21.5 million to construct.
The years after opening brought practical challenges: a nine-year effort to stop rainwater from leaking into the building was completed in 2009, a reminder that even handsome civic projects require long attention. Imagine the planning and investment behind those 114,130 square feet — public space built and paid for by the city community. The library sits as part of the downtown fabric, affiliated with the Metropolitan Library System and serving readers and visitors from the heart of Oklahoma City's core.
Pause and feel the scale of the facade as you walk its base, thinking of the August day in 2004 when its doors first opened and the later work that secured its roof against rain. A nine-year fight against rainwater ended in 2009, and the library has kept serving readers from the heart of downtown ever since.