Nearly two months after their community library branch closed, Kingstowne residents will soon have a brand-new spot to check out books.
The neighborhood’s new regional library, under construction since 2023, will celebrate its official grand opening on Saturday, April 11 as part of the ribbon cutting for the new Franconia Governmental Center (7130 Silver Lake Blvd).
To commemorate the opening, a whole slate of festivities is planned, including performances by the Hayfield High School honors orchestra and the Lane Elementary School choir.
A full list of the day’s events is below.
- 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Photobooth
- 11 a.m.: Performance by the Lane Elementary School choir
- 12-2 p.m.: Storytime and parade with Princess Belle
- 2 p.m.: Performance by Hayfield High School honors orchestra
Funded with $34 million from a 2020 library bond referendum, the Kingstowne Regional Library will occupy roughly one-third of the new, 90,000-square-foot campus — more than double the size of its previous space.
Accordingly, more than 18,000 new items were purchased in order to fill the additional space, upping the library’s catalog to more than 55,000 pieces, according to Fairfax County Public Library.
“At the new location, materials have been unboxed and shelved,” FCPL said when announcing the opening date. “Public computers, printers, Wi-Fi and copiers have been installed, chairs and tables arranged and more!”
Following the grand opening, the new library will be open daily starting at 10 a.m. It will close at 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and at 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.
The facility’s remaining 60,000 square feet of space will house Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk’s office, the Franconia District Police Station, Franconia Museum, an active adult center and a new child care center that will serve kids from infancy through pre-kindergarten.
According to a spokesperson, the Fairfax County Police Department is already operating out of the new space. All of the other facilities are expected to be open by April 13.
The lone exception to the reopening is the Franconia Museum, which will open its doors on April 11 with some temporary displays as staff continue preparing artifacts for display, Vice President Nathaniel Lee told FFXnow.
The Museum’s Walker Research Library will be fully stocked and operational on April 11 for the public to use, with hundreds of books and manuscripts on the history of the Franconia neighborhood and Fairfax County. We will also feature the complete written works of George Washington and the complete Congressional record of the American Civil War.
While we are in the process of creating new exhibits for our artifacts over the next several weeks, the exhibit hall won’t be completely empty. We will have some standing photo displays on our tables and shelves until the artifacts can all be safely installed. We will also have an interactive table map of the neighborhood on display for people to learn more about historic sites near them. We expect completion of the exhibit hall no later than June.
