Parchment Community Library, 401 S Riverview Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49004, US

HistoryThe East Avenue School, later known as Roosevelt School, hosted library services from 1912 to 1940, when the East Side branch moved to a storefront on East Main. In 1974, the Eastwood Community Center donated their Strand Hall on Gayle Ave. to the library. The current building on the Gayle Ave. lot was built in 1995-6, and re-dedicated on August 12, 1996. Residential in scale and detailing, the Eastwood Branch represents the idealized model of a small neighborhood library. The bottom of its classic L shape features the children's area and enclosed story room. A vestible elevator and stairwell lead to a community reading room on the lower level. A cupola skylight and iridescent entry glazing dramatize the rose brick exterior. Cheerful colors delight the eye in interior finishes and furnishings.