New C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library to be Dedicated

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL -- During a community celebration that promises to be standing-room-only, Hillsborough County will dedicate the re-created C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library on Sunday, May 26 at 2 p.m.

Located at 2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tampa, the sleek, two-story building measures 25,000 square feet. That’s twice the size of the outdated facility that was on the property. It was torn down two years ago for construction of the new building.

A special feature of the new library is a room that will house the archives of the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, the local newspaper founded and still published decades later by the Andrews family. Members of the family will be on hand for the ceremony.

Other features include:

• A bright, welcoming interior with lots of natural light, and a building design that showcases a grand oak tree on the northeast corner of the property
• A collection of popular materials - numbering nearly 12,000 books, audio books, magazines, music CDs and DVDs - for customers of all ages
• A variety of meeting spaces, including a community room, study rooms and maker space
• A recording studio, public computers and wireless Internet

The $7.75-million project was funded by revenues from the Special Library District ad valorem tax, as well as a $500,000 grant from the Florida Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services.

As was the case with the previous building, the library carries the name of C. Blythe Andrews Jr., who was a strong advocate for bringing a library to the College Hill area. Beginning as a sports reporter for his family’s newspaper, he worked in every department at the Florida Sentinel Bulletin during his career, eventually becoming owner-publisher. Andrews served on boards of the Hillsborough County Hospital Authority, Tampa Sports Authority and Florida Arts Council, among other civic endeavors. He and his family were instrumental in acquiring the land on which the library sits, and over the years donated book collections and volunteered many hours to help the library grow and thrive. He died in 2010.

For more information about the C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library and the programs that will be offered there, click here.