Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Mies van der Rohe modernist landmark

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, completed in 1972, is the central branch of the DC Public Library and the only public library building in the United States designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The building was renamed for Dr. King in 1981 and underwent a multi-year renovation led by Mecanoo that resulted in a reopened, reimagined central library in 2020. It combines archival collections, public spaces, and cultural programming in a modernist architectural setting.