From outside, Downtown Reno Library of Washoe County (Nev.) Library System looks like a big square brown box. “There’s no pizazz out front,” says Kristen Ryan, branch manager. So when people walk inside and find a lush central atrium with an abundance of philodendrons, spotted begonias, and other greenery; several towering trees; and a reflection pool, they tend to gasp the same thing: “Oh my god, look at all the plants!”
Hewitt C. Wells, the library’s architect, wanted to build it in a park. When that plan fell through, he decided to build “a park in the library,” Ryan says. Completed in 1966, it won the 1968 Industrial Landscape Award (presented by Lady Bird Johnson) and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
But it’s the soothing effect of all these plants that visitors value most. One case in point: the community municipal court held at the library every Wednesday in partnership with the city. After going before the judge, defendants connect with onsite service providers who assist them with substance-use disorders, mental health, housing, legal services, and other issues. “It’s an inviting atmosphere versus the regular courthouse down the street,” says Ryan. “The plants are just calming.”
The only person who might not agree? Gardener Leon Lewis, who—since all this foliage has no drip or sprinkler system—has watered every single plant by hand once a week for more than 20 years.
