St. Louis County Library Opens Clark Family Branch on July 9

ST. LOUIS, MO–St. Louis County Library will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening for the new Clark Family Branch, located at 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd, on Tuesday, July 9 at 9:00 a.m. 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 and family, who donated $4 million to the project in 2022. Mr. Clark is the Executive Chairman & Founder of Clayco. The building was designed by Lamar Johnson Collaborative.

Additional parking is available at the Litzsinger School, located at 10094 Litzsinger Road, Ladue, MO 63124. SLCL will provide shuttle service from the school to the Clark Family Branch on July 9 from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

 Opening Day Activities:

• Ribbon cutting at 9:00 a.m.
• Story Time at 10:00 a.m.
• STL Summer Adventure sign ups–everyone who registers will receive a free book
• Create your Own Bookmark craft
• Storybook Character Scavenger Hunt in the children's area
• Tours and demos in the Teen Creative Lab, including 3D and laser printers, and the recording studio. 

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. Libraries move people and communities forward. We are very grateful for the generous support of the donors who saw our vision and 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.”

Robert G. Clark, Executive Chairman & Founder of Clayco said, "Now more than ever, libraries need community support to bring world-class learning, recreation, and other critical services to the citizens of the St. Louis region. The Clark Foundation holds education and scholarship dear to our hearts, and the entire Clark family embraces the mission and vision of the St. Louis County Library and their staff. The incredible renaissance of all the libraries that has taken place the past 10 years, along with the Library’s innovative programming and partnerships, guarantees our libraries will be a place to see future generations thrive.”

The Clark Family Branch offers something for everyone. The first floor features two fireplaces, comfortable seating, a large browsing collection, and art on display from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Other amenities in the branch include 18 private study rooms, an outdoor reading deck, a computer lab, community meeting rooms, and much more.

 The Clark Family Branch features several one-of-a-kind spaces including:

 Post Event Space & Plaza

Sponsored by Post Holdings Inc., the 800-seat event space is the new home to the SLCL’s popular author series. The Post Event Space can be divided into four separate rooms, and will be available for library programs, community meetings and other special events. Outside, the Post Plaza courtyard features lush landscaping along with seating, tables, and a nearby walking trail. 

 Stephany and Richard Kniep Children’s Space

This 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.

 Emerson History and Genealogy Center 

SLCL’s entire genealogy and local history collection, featuring approximately 125,000 items, will be accessible to the public for the first time. 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. The lead gift for the History & Genealogy Department comes from Emerson, along with support from other organizations and individuals.

Unity Foundation Teen Space

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. Other amenities include a Glowforge laser cutter, Cricut, Black magic Cinema Camera, and Mac computers loaded with the Adobe suite of software.

 Small Business Center

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 Virtual Meeting Space with soundproof walls. 

 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.

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