Photo by Anton Grassl | Courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture

What: Roxbury branch of Boston Public Library
Where: 149 Dudley St.
Owner: City of Boston
Built: 2017-2020

Renovations at the Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library received acclaim at the Boston Society for Architecture’s annual awards gala this month.

Utile’s design received the Harleston Parker Medal, which recognizes “the most beautiful piece of architecture, building, monument, or structure built in the metropolitan Boston area in the past 10 years.”

The award’s jury called the renovation “transformative” and praised it as “a good model” for transforming Boston’s Brutalist buildings for a new era.

The 27,000 square-foot, $17.2 million renovation project began in 2017 and was completed in 2020.

It includes a new welcome area overlooking a redesigned plaza, a new children’s corner, a prominently featured African-American collection space; nutrition and learning labs and a community room.

They Said It:

“Architecture isn’t just about buildings – it’s about people. It’s about shaping environments that bring us together, foster equity, and create opportunities for everyone. Exceptional design has the power to redefine what’s possible.”
— Danyson Taveres, executive director, Boston Society for Architecture

Photo by Anton Grassl | Courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture

Photo by Anton Grassl | Courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture