Tarkington Library

Liberty County, Texas

Designed for the unincorporated rural community of Tarkington Prairie, located in Liberty County, some 70 miles northeast of Houston, the library will serve as a vital community center and gathering place. Its design is inspired by the traditional structure of “front porch” and “building,” a rural vernacular of timber construction that is historically common to this area of East Texas. 

The new building incorporates a covered porch that runs along the length of the simple trapezoidal volume wraps around the thinner end of the building at the highway-facing south end, providing a highly visible and welcoming presence along the farm-to-market road. The porch also creates a shaded deck that can be used for performances, library events and community gatherings. 

Abundant glass along the east elevation brings natural light into the interiors, especially to the book stacks and reading spaces placed at the front, allowing the building’s function to be clearly visible to drivers along the road. At night, the library will glow like a lantern when lit up. Administrative offices and other back-of-house functions  are tucked into the north end of the building, with sight lines to the parking lot.

The library is designed to provide valuable community services, including meeting space, access to computers and the internet, a place for young people to gather and study, and a home for artifacts of local heritage. Sited in close proximity  to the existing community center, it leaves room for a possible future replacement of that building to connect to the library either physically or via a porch or other walkway.