Robinson Brick Company would like to extend their congratulations to the Blair Caldwell African American Research Library for receiving an honorable mention in Masonry Construction Magazine's annual 'Project of the Year' contest.

The Blair Caldwell African American Research Library, located in the historic Five Points neighborhood in downtown Denver, Colorado, brings together an entire culture’s history and western experience into one building. The library is named for former Denver Public Schools’ board member Omar Blair, and former City Councilman Elvin Caldwell, who were instrumental in desegregation in the city. This 40,000 square foot facility has become the largest branch library in the Denver Public Library system, offering exhibit space and meeting rooms in addition to the extensive library space. The challenge was to design and build this extensive, full-service neighborhood library on a very tight site, with a limited budget.

The three-story building features a brick façade with large archways, and goes well beyond a standard library configuration, housing computer workstations, bi-lingual children’s programs, and a 7,000 square-foot exhibit space. It is the only cultural facility of its kind between Detroit and Oakland. The library is home to a complete collection of African American research archives, and an exhibit gallery featuring notable African Americans.

During design and construction, creating a building that fit into the existing architectural character of the neighborhood was the most significant challenge. As a result, the front façade is elongated with a centered brick arch, and on each major façade, punched openings are included, resembling the architectural design of nearby buildings. The masonry contractors used Ballpark™ brick supplied by Robinson Brick Company in Denver, because of the client’s vision to create a timeless structure that would reflect Denver’s history, strength, and longevity. Using only FBX quality brick ensured that the building would uphold it’s enduring beauty for all to enjoy, for centuries to come.