When the Town of Belmont, Massachusetts decided it was time to replace its aging public library, the goal was about more than creating a new building. It was about creating a place for the community to come together.

Working with Oudens Ello Architecture and Selbert Perkins Design, Belmont imagined a library where everyone could feel at home – a student looking for a quiet place to study, a family spending an afternoon together, a senior meeting a friend, or an entrepreneur finding a place to work and connect.

The result is a 41,000-square-foot library designed around the many ways people come together. Quiet study rooms sit alongside lively gathering spaces. Children’s areas connect to community rooms, while co-working spaces open onto outdoor terraces. There is room to focus, explore, meet, create, and simply be.

That sense of belonging extends to the library’s new identity. SPD created a bluebird logo inspired by Belmont’s trees, sky, and Woodland Garden, capturing the welcoming spirit of the new library.

The same idea inspired “A Wall for All,” a donor installation featuring more than 1,000 names etched into translucent stone. Every donor is given an equal place, creating a lasting reminder that this library belongs to the entire community.

Belmont created a place where people can meet, connect, and feel part of something bigger – a shared space for the community today and for generations to come.