As work begins in earnest on a $30.9 million project to build a new branch library in Fields Corner this month, Mayor Wu and other elected leaders joined Boston Public Library officials and residents for an official groundbreaking ceremony on Monday afternoon.
Mayor Wu and other elected leaders joined Boston Public Library officials and residents for an official groundbreaking ceremony on Monday afternoon outside the current and future site of the Fields Corner branch of the BPL. (Cassidy McNeeley photo)
“Libraries, we all know, are about much more than the books,” Wu said as cars passed by along Dorchester Avenue. “They’re really about the home away from home for every generation of our community. In that way, our trusted and beloved staff members at the library are like an extension of each and every one of our families in the neighborhood.”
Wu, joined by state Sen. Nick Collins, City Councillors Ruthzee Louijeune, Erin Murphy and John FitzGerald, spoke across the street from the current library branch at 1520 Dorchester Ave., which is well on the way to demolition.
BPL President David Leonard said the modern building that will replace the 1969 structure “will be a dynamic community hub, a place for lifelong learning, digital access, civic engagement, creativity, and connection.” He added that “it’s more essential than ever. Libraries bridge divides, offer safe spaces, and empower individuals.”
The project, part of the mayor’s FY26-30 capital plan, calls for a two-story, 14,500-square-foot building with amenities like a 100-seat flexible community room, classrooms, study rooms, a dedicated children’s story area, and a second-floor outdoor reading terrace.
The building will be the first branch in the BPL system built to the city’s Fossil Fuel Free standard for new municipal buildings.
Wu and others noted that BPL employees like branch librarian Kim McCleary, programs and community outreach librarian Liz Blake, and building custodian Greg Stewartson have become integral parts of the neighborhood.
“The library is a place where we warm up from the cold in the winter,” said Jacky West-Devine, executive director of Fields Corner Main Street. “It’s a place where we cool off in the summer… We get to recharge ourselves, and while we do that, we can engage in a world-class novel, a fresh newspaper, or even a trade magazine. Libraries truly are for everybody.”
Said Shamia Hicks, president of the Fields Corner Civic Association: “Many of us have grown up with the Fields Corner Library, and generations of children and families have come here. Because of our amazing mayor, we have over $30 million in an investment into Dorchester and our Fields Corner community.
The facility “has served us well for decades,” she noted, saying, “We are so happy and grateful and hope that it continues to serve for many more decades.”
The new branch is scheduled to open next year.
By Cassidy McNeeley,
The Dorchester Reporter Staff
May 6, 2025