🏢 Houston Public Library — Houston, Texas

Kendall Neighborhood Library

Houston's first combined library and community center, this west-side landmark rose stronger from Hurricane Harvey to anchor the Energy Corridor.

📖 About Kendall Neighborhood Library

The Kendall Neighborhood Library and Community Center is distinguished as Houston's first combined library and community center, serving the Energy Corridor on the city's far west side at 609 N Eldridge Parkway. It carries the name of Belle Sherman Kendall, a Woman's Club member who once wrote to Andrew Carnegie soliciting funds for a Houston public library; the first Kendall branch opened in 1969, and a much larger, roughly 28,600-square-foot facility opened in 2010. In 2017, Kendall was the Houston Public Library branch most severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey — floodwaters knocked out its electrical system and elevator and left mold behind, though most of the collection survived because it was shelved on the second floor. The branch underwent a roughly $4 million recovery and renovation program before reopening to the community. Today it pairs traditional library services with community-center meeting and program spaces, reflecting its dual mission for the surrounding neighborhoods.

⭐ What makes this branch special

• Houston's first combined library and community center
• Named for Belle Sherman Kendall, who petitioned Andrew Carnegie
• Roughly 28,600 sq ft facility opened in 2010
• Rebuilt after being HPL's hardest-hit branch in Hurricane Harvey

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