St. Louis County Library Announces Opening Dates for Clark Family Branch in Ladue

St. Louis County Library is pleased to announce the grand opening of the new Clark Family Branch, located at 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. The opening will occur in two phases. On June 1, the Post Event Space will open to the public at 1:00 p.m. for a ticketed event with Darius Rucker, of Hootie and the Blowfish and country music fame; he will discuss his new memoir, “Life’s Too Short.” A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Post Event Space will be held at 12:00 p.m. 

On Tuesday, July 9, an official ribbon cutting ceremony for the Clark Family Branch will be held at 9:00 a.m. and the entire branch will open to the public immediately following. 

Media tours will be scheduled in the coming weeks–details TBA. 

The Clark Family Branch is the final project of the Your Library Renewed campaign, which began in 2014. Since that time, 6 new library branches have been built, and 13 have been completely renovated or expanded. The Lynn Beckwith Jr. Administrative Building was also completed as part of the campaign. One additional project–the new Eureka Hills Branch opened in 2021, but was not part of Your Library Renewed. Completing 21 significant building projects in 10 years is an extremely unique accomplishment.

The Clark Family Branch is a stunning, two-story building, encompassing 74,000 square feet. The branch replaced the former Headquarters building, and is now the largest branch in the St. Louis County Library District. The branch is named after Bob Clark, Executive Chairman & Founder of Clayco, who donated $4 million to the project in 2022. The building was designed by Lamar Johnson Collaborative.

Kristen Sorth, St. Louis County Library Director & CEO said, “The opening of the Clark Family Branch is a huge milestone for the St. Louis County Library District. For the past 10 years, we have modernized and improved every branch in the Library District as part of the Your Library Renewed campaign, plus one additional branch. Our buildings truly reflect our Library System– they are welcoming, bright, dynamic, comfortable and fun. The Clark Family Branch will provide an array of unique resources for the entire region including an outdoor reading deck, a fun  children’s space, a high tech teen space, a small business center and so much more. We are very grateful for the generous support of the donors who contributed to this project: the Clark Family, Emerson, Post Holdings, Unity Foundation, Object Computing Inc., the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Stephany and Richard Kniep, the Rohrbach Foundation, Susan and Shanti Nagarkatti, and Sandy and Neil Jaffe.”

The Post Event Space, sponsored by Post Holdings, will be home to the Library’s popular author series. In June, the Post Event Space will welcome 14 authors–including Grammy Award-winning musician Darius Rucker, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, thriller writer Riley Sager, novelist Gabrielle Zevin and popular YA author Tomi Adeyemi. Details about the upcoming author events are available at www.slcl.org/authors. The Post Event Space will also host a performance by the St. Louis Symphony on June 24, and a gaming tournament with the BGG Foundation in July.    

Details about the upcoming author events are available at www.slcl.org/authors. The Post Event Space will also host a performance by the St. Louis Symphony on June 24, and a gaming tournament with the BGG Foundation in July.    

The Clark Family Branch offers something for everyone. The first floor features two fireplaces, comfortable seating, a large browsing collection, and a collection of art on display from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Upstairs, the large, brightly colored children’s space, sponsored by Stephany and Richard Kniep, features a large playhouse, a fire engine and other interactive learning activities such as light tables and a magnetic gear wall. Two large touch screens will offer educational games and activities. There are reading nooks where kids can curl up with a book, and other cozy seating throughout the space.

The Emerson History and Genealogy Department, located on the second floor, will house SLCL’s large genealogy and local history collection. The space includes six interactive Family Search screens and a Memory Lab where people can record their family histories. There’s also a dedicated room for digitizing old photos or converting VHS tapes to digital files.

Teens will have access to a high-tech creative lab sponsored by Object Computing Inc. that includes a 3-D printer, a recording studio, a green screen wall and a video game room. 

The Small Business Center will offer a variety of resources for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. There will be computers and dedicated staff to assist patrons, as well as programming. This area has a variety of seating along with moveable walls to create collaborative spaces. There’s also a Zoom room with soundproof walls. 

Other amenities at the branch include 18 private study rooms, an outdoor reading deck, a computer lab, community meeting rooms, comfortable seating and a large collection of books, music, DVDs, magazines and more. Visitors can take advantage of the lush landscaping outside of the branch by sitting in the Post Plaza courtyard or stretching their legs on the nearby walking trail.

Media inquiries should be directed to Jennifer McBride, Assistant Director, Communications at 314-994-3300 ext. 2250 or jmcbride@slcl.org.