🏢 San Diego Public Library — San Diego, California

Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Library

Opened in 2019 and built to LEED Gold standards, the Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library is a 15,000-square-foot branch more than triple the size of the 1961 building it replaced.

📖 About Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Library

The Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Library opened on January 26, 2019, replacing a cramped 1961 branch with a modern 15,000-square-foot building more than three times its size. Named for philanthropists Harley and Bessie Knox, the branch was designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, with drought-tolerant landscaping and 84 underground parking spaces tucked beneath the building. Inside are dedicated teen and children's areas, community meeting space, study rooms, and computer labs, along with a Mobile IDEA Lab makerspace equipped with a laser cutter and 3D printer. The library serves the surrounding neighborhoods of Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, Middletown, Mission Hills, and Old Town. City planners projected the new branch would draw roughly 350,000 visits a year. Its scale and amenities make it one of the newer flagship neighborhood libraries in the San Diego system.

⭐ What makes this branch special

• Opened in 2019 at 15,000 square feet, more than triple the size of the 1961 library it replaced
• Designed to LEED Gold standards with drought-tolerant landscaping
• 84 underground parking spaces beneath the branch
• Mobile IDEA Lab makerspace featuring a laser cutter and 3D printer

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