The Peoria Public Library’s architect for the new north branch has released an artist’s rendering of the site (see picture to right). The Journal Star reports that the design of the new library is “a collaborative effort between PSA Dewberry, the Farnsworth Group and Burnidge Cassel Associates”:

“You’re going to have something that this city can really be proud of,” said Rick McCarthy, principal architect of PSA Dewberry of Elgin. “These designs really make a statement about libraries.”

So I’ve been looking at the picture, trying to figure out what statement this makes about libraries. Frankly, if looks like a slightly-modified 1950s modernist-style building. If you didn’t know what it was, you might think it’s an office building or school. The round reading room is a miniature version of the planetarium being planned for the downtown museum. I guess what I’m saying is that it’s not an architecturally-significant building. It’s neither imaginative nor inspiring, nor does it evoke a sense of permanence.

Hence, it will blend perfectly in the fifth district.