
Riverview Library Replacement
360 Previews
Reading Room
Lobby
Features of New Building
- 35,000 square feet
- Impressive Old Florida Grandeur style including shiplap wainscoting, bead board, and ceiling fans
- 8 meeting rooms
- Seating capacities from 4 to 150
- Makerspace for learning, creating, and doing
- Recording studio with 2 editing suites
- Early Learning HIVE
- Covered and screened-in reading porch
- Plenty of comfortable seating with access to power and Wi-Fi
- 5,000 square foot separate children’s area
- Friends of the Library bookstore
- Vending café
- Sustainable design/features
- Designed to silver LEED standards
- Solar panel power system on roof
- Electric car charging station
- Focus on native/drought-resistant landscaping
Design Plans
Final layouts may differ slightly from plans.
Work in Progress
Inspiration
Inspiration came from old Florida postcards and a 1940s coastal vibe. The interior’s light and airy color pallet of whites, mints, and other shades of soft green are balanced by the richer wood finishes of the beamed ceiling and the furniture. School House style lighting has been specified and this style could provide further inspiration for the furniture whose lively textiles will provide “pops” of vibrant color.


Timeline
- Summer 2020 – Expected completion.
- April 2019 – Construction start.
- October 2018 – Construction documents complete and submitted for permitting. Construction bidding to start.
- July 17, 2018 – Finishes selected at Friends of the Library meeting.
- December 14, 2017 – Public meeting to present selected site and conceptual overview.
- November 2017 – Design phase begins.
- October 2017 – Board of County Commissioners approves request to increase size of replacement building to 35,000 square feet.
- March 3, 2016 – Public meeting soliciting input on the four possible sites selected for relocation.
- February 3, 2015 – Public meeting soliciting input regarding boundaries for property search and desired services and amenities of new library.
History
The 8,000 square foot Riverview Library was built in 1979 to serve the populations of Riverview, Gibsonton, and Apollo Beach. In FY18, the Census estimated the population of these areas at 113,000 people and many of them visited the library. In all, 103,810 visitors checked out 203,186 items from this one-room library which is also busy with computer users, program attendees, children and parents, tutors, people needing a place for quiet contemplation, and people looking for an active environment for brainstorming and collaboration. Very few seats have access to power for device charging. Competition for use of the library’s one 55-seat meeting room is fierce. For approximately two months of the year, this room is unavailable for meetings and library programs because it serves as an early voting site for the Supervisor of Elections. The Riverview Library is functionally obsolete and the need for library service in the area has simply outgrown the library’s building and its land.
FAQ
- Costs and how building is being paid for
- The cost for the new building is estimated at $12.6 million and will be paid for from the Library Capital Projects Fund.
- For more information
-
- Professional contracts, bids, services – Hillsborough County Procurement Department
- Project Manager – Erthel Hill, Real Estate & Facilities Services, (813) 272-7008
- Library Services – Janet Marnatti, Project Manager, (813) 204-2646
- Hillsborough County Riverview Library Construction Webpage