After more than four years of waiting, hundreds of excited residents and local elected officials on Sunday celebrated the grand reopening of Denver’s flagship library.

The reopening was a culmination of a revitalization effort that included several years of planning and construction delays.

“It’s so much more welcoming,” Denver Public Library Executive Director Michelle Jeske said on Sunday, gazing out into the newly minted downtown library.

“It feels light and airy,” she said, “and it feels like you’re walking into a modern library.”

The Central Library, 10 W. 14th Ave. off Broadway, has been under construction and mostly closed to the public since 2020.

Construction and improvements to the Central Library had been in the works since 2017, when money from the Elevate Denver bond was unlocked for library projects, but slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bond, which so far has generated close to $1 billion, provides money for about 500 different projects throughout the city including $431 million for transportation projects, $117 million for cultural projects and a dedicated $69 million for libraries.

“We believe that a strong library helps create a strong community. And thanks to Denver voters and our supporters, we continue to evolve to make our library stronger,” Jeske said. “Our library provides sanctuary for all and as people curate their worlds to interact with only those who are like them.”

Home of the Western History and Genealogy Department, now known as the Special Collections Department, the building designed by architect Michael Graves includes a hub area for children and teens, and a public technology center with about 90 computers available for public use.

The 500,000-square-foot area could fit all 26 other Denver Library locations inside its cavernous space.

The upgraded library features new bathrooms, four free to use phones, new elevators, community rooms, studios, arts and craft space, an art gallery, the famous Legacy Room, upstairs views of downtown Denver, a banquet area and lounge areas.

For longtime Denver residents Jim and Susan Broyles, Denver Central Library’s reopening on Sunday featured what they wanted of their local library.

“I’m very impressed,” Jim Broyles said of the library. “It’s truly beautiful.”

“There was a lot of thought put into it,” Susan Broyles said.

When asked what upgrades stood out, they pointed to the new teen center.

“What I really liked is they have teen books. They have the teens’ interest,” Susan Broyles said. “And that the teen books have other genres, or adult genres, that might lend them to moving from teen into fantasy or romance.”

Central Library Director Rachel Fewell takes immense pride in the work the central branch does.

“It’s so cool to walk around the building and see so many flavors of humanity doing their own thing and having a great time and getting the information they need,” she said. “I am super proud that it’s a place where truly anyone can come and find something for themselves. I feel very lucky to work in a huge urban central library.”

Fewell said she would like to see families come and go for story times, homeless people come in to find support and older residents pass through to look into their genealogy records.

Anthony Clinkscale, a Denver resident, said he grew up with the old library.

“I like the new space,” he said. “It seems like there’s a lot more space, light and new options.”

Alongside Jeske, Denver City Councilmember Chris Hinds cut the ribbon on Sunday to fully reopen Central Library.

“I’m really excited about having the space be open to the people,” Hinds said. “For a building that is a building of perpetual construction, we are finally no longer in construction here. So I’m really excited about that.”

Sen. John Hickenlooper, a former mayor of Denver, joined the celebration on Sunday.

“Human history is based on the natural curiosity of people to see the world around them,” he said. “The ability to take notes and be able to look back and take what you’ve learned and try and make better decisions for your future based on that.”

Hickenlooper added: “Libraries, in many ways, symbolize all of that.”