A historic community hub on the city’s East Side will soon undergo major renovations and close its doors for the next 18 months.

The Carver Branch Library is set for a $12.8 million renovation project to add a new community meeting space, a new African American Resource Center, tween space for children ages 9 through 12, public art and other building and exterior improvements.

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The San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees approved the plans late last month, according to a press release announcing the updates.

San Antonio residents have until Aug. 10 to use the library’s current services. The building will close until mid-2027 while renovations take place, said Yvonne Ramirez, a library public engagement officer.

Library services will temporarily move to Denver Heights Community Center, less than three miles away at 300 Porter St., according to the SAPL website.

Patrons can return books and pick up holds at the community center, and a selection of books, computer workstations and information services will also be available in the interim at Denver Heights.

The new African American Resource Center can be seen in a rendering of the Carver Branch Library renovation.

The city’s public library system has been working with community members on the project for more than a year and hosted community meetings and briefings in 2023 and in 2024, according to the library’s website.

Comments from those meetings focused on the importance of the Carver Branch to the community and its connection to local history, including the Rev. Samuel Horace Jones, a pastor of the neighboring Second Baptist Church. Jones was the first Black man elected to San Antonio City Council in 1965, where he pushed for a fair-employment ordinance and joined in peaceful civil rights sit-ins.

According to the library, the first Carver Library was set up in a small wooden building established by African-American Army officers based at Fort Sam Houston during World War I. It was moved to the Colored Community Center on North Hackberry in one room at the end of the auditorium.

In 1973, the present building was built on donated land at 3350 East Commerce Street next to Second Baptist Church, where Jones was a pastor for 48 years.

Friends of the Carver, a group of community members, were involved in the planning process and submitted feedback on the importance of the library.

“The Carver Library has long been a beacon of knowledge and an essential resource for the community, reflecting the rich history of African American culture and heritage,” the group wrote in a proposal to preserve the library’s history.

The Friends of the Carver proposed including an exhibit space, a mural, mini documentary film, genealogy department and an African and African American Resource and Research Area.

“I am grateful to the Carver Branch Library community, who have provided feedback at each step of the process to help develop Carver’s future collaboratively,” said Library Director Sukrit Goswami in a press release.

The $12.8 million project will be funded by the city’s 2022 bond. Of that money, $12.5 million will go to construction and $300,000 will go toward public art.

Goswami said he was excited for the renovations to the historic library.

“In the coming months, we will begin the process of renovating this beloved Eastside asset into a state-of-the-art library that blends history and community connection with technology and thoughtful architectural design,” he said.

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