Rudasill Regional Library: new two‑story Greenwood‑area branch to include maker space, large event hall and children’s courtyard

Keith Jemmerson, manager of the Rudasill Regional Library, presented the design and program plan for the replacement of the existing North Tulsa branch during the Tulsa African American Affairs Commission meeting. The new two‑story Rudasill facility is part of a multi‑branch capital program (phase 1 included Brookside and Rudasill; phase 2 will add additional branches) funded through a $58 million library capital campaign that combines city capital savings with private philanthropy.

Jemmerson described features of the proposed Rudasill Regional Library: a two‑story building with a large, classroom/banquet‑style BOK Harmony Hall (Bank of Oklahoma provided major philanthropic support), a dedicated maker space and an audio studio, a children’s courtyard with tricycle/scooter play area, separate teen space, genealogy and African‑American Resource Center collections, meeting rooms, a coffee/gift/shop area selling library‑related items, and a drive‑through/curbside material pickup window. Renderings shown to the commission depict extensive glazing, a ground‑floor children’s patio and an upper‑level prefunction patio adjacent to the Harmony Hall. Several donors and contributors were acknowledged; staff also noted plans to solicit artists for public artwork on the site.

Project status and timeline Jemmerson told the commission the contractor mobilized in December and that construction was underway; he said, “it should be finished by this time next year.” The site sits near BS Roberts Park and Langston University‑Tulsa; the design team coordinated on visibility, traffic flows and park access. Jemmerson said the project team had consulted neighborhood stakeholders in a multi‑step public engagement process and emphasized that the branch is intended to be a multiuse community resource and an economic‑development amenity for Greenwood and North Tulsa.

Commission reaction and next steps Commissioners asked about the disposition of the existing Rudasill building on Greenwood; Jemmerson said the library system has not finalized plans for resale or reuse of the current building and that potential buyers or reuse proposals will be coordinated to ensure neighborhood compatibility. Commissioners also raised site questions (stormwater and creek proximity) and were told the project’s geotechnical and civil studies had been completed and that artifacts found during site work will be evaluated and, where appropriate, displayed as part of the library’s local history interpretation. The library staff said artist‑call announcements, community programming plans and donor recognition pages would be posted at mylibraryourfuture.org and on the library’s capital campaign pages.

What it means locally Commissioners and staff called the facility a major cultural and civic investment for North Tulsa—combining event and meeting space, children’s programming, archival/genealogy resource capability and modern maker/audio production facilities. The commission encouraged continued public engagement during the construction process and noted the branch’s potential to host programming tied to Greenwood history and the Tulsa Race Massacre remembrance initiatives.