Silicon Valley Business Journal

Structures Awards: Community Impact, El Gabilan Library

The El Gabilan Library makes hitting the books more fun this year for children, teens and adults. The new 20,800-square-foot facility located at 1400 N. Main St. in Salinas is a community resource and serves students from more than 20 public and private schools within a two-mile radius, as well as adults and families.

Opened in December 2019, amenities include children, teen and adult collections; collaborative makerspace, study rooms, Internet café and a flexible community room. Welcoming outdoor spaces feature reading patios, lounging decks and an interactive-learning children’s garden.

The El Gabilan Library replaced a previous 4,000-square-foot structure to provide space for lifelong learning, including room for more books, music and videos, and an expanded children’s area for story times and playgroups.

The new library building, which has an 11,000-square-foot footprint on a compact 46,000-square-foot lot, is sandwiched between a single-family residence and an operational credit union that the library shares a parking lot with.

The developer’s goal was to make the library an enduring community place that anchors the northern Salinas neighborhood and meets the needs of their growing city.

Click here to view the Silicon Valley Business Journal Structures award.