CCPL and Government Officials Break Ground on New James Island Library

Screenshot of schematic plans

The Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) and officials with the Charleston County government kicked off the construction of the Baxter Patrick James Island Library during a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, September 29th. The 20,000-square foot facility will be located on the corner of Nathaniel Drive and South Grimball Road on James Island.

The new library will include:

• Adult, children, and teen areas
• An auditorium that can be divided into two meeting rooms (100-person capacity)
• A meeting room/makerspace for do-it-yourself (DIY) projects (25-person capacity)
• Small group study rooms
• Outdoor areas
• Learning Lab (Computer Instruction Room)

The library branch is named in remembrance of the old Baxter Patrick Elementary School that was located where the new library will be constructed. The school was named after retired school principals, Nan C. Baxter, who died on September 2, 1966, and Anna S. Patrick, who died June 10, 1973. According to Grimball Road residents, Mrs. Baxter and Mrs. Patrick were the first African-American school teachers on James Island.

The facility is expected to open in late 2018. Local residents approved a referendum to build five new libraries, and renovate or upgrade 13 others in November 2014. The first phase of the overall project was designed to solicit community input for the five new library locations. One of CCPL’s top priorities during this process involved obtaining practical information from public library users. The Cummings and McCrady architectural firm presented their design of the new James Island branch during a community meeting in March 2017. Click here to see the design.

Visit www.ccpl.org/construction for monthly status updates and to view updated branch designs presented during past community meetings.

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