Patrick Henry Library Temporary Location Opens To Crowd: Look Inside

VIENNA, VA — Patrick Henry Library staff opened the doors to the temporary location to a crowd of patrons on Wednesday morning. The interim location will provide limited services while the permanent location will be rebuilt and expanded.

The temporary location at the Cedar Park Shopping Center (262 Cedar Lane Suite C, Vienna, VA) opened at 10 a.m. Wednesday following a ribbon cutting with library, county and town officials. In remarks at the ribbon cutting, Supervisor Walter Alcorn (D-Hunter Mill) said the library would be open Mondays to Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"This is really the next chapter of the Patrick Henry Library, which has served this community for 63 years," said Alcorn. "It's really the temporary library. Remember that we have a new library coming back where the old library currently sits on Maple Avenue."

At the ribbon cutting, patrons received ice cream from Toby's Handmade Ice Cream and watched officials cut the ribbon before the library doors opened.

"We're so thrilled to see so many of you here. We're glad that you're going to utilize the facility," said Eric Carzon, director of Fairfax County Public Library, at the ribbon cutting.

The 2,800-square-foot temporary location is a quick service library with a small browsing section, pickup of holds, returns, public Wi-Fi, Chromebooks for on-site use and select programming like story time. A book drop is located outside the library, and bathrooms are located inside. For full services, patrons can visit other nearby Fairfax County Public Library locations like the Oakton Library, City of Fairfax Regional Library and Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library.

"We know that gathering in libraries and with books together is a wonderful way to build community, and community is so important to us here in Vienna," said Councilmember Jessica Ramakis, who also serves as the mayor pro tem. "So we're grateful to have this temporary location around the wonderful businesses here in Cedar Park."

Alcorn noted the new library being constructed will be named Vienna-Carter Library in honor of William and Lillian Carter, who helped establish an integrated library in 1962. William McKinley Carter was also a charter member of the Fairfax County NAACP, and the Carter family has additional history in the Town of Vienna and Fairfax County.

"I'm very pleased that the Carter family is being honored in such a way," said Alcorn.

The permanent library at 101 Maple Avenue W closed on May 9. The county is in the process of accepting construction bids, according to the project team. Contract negotiations with the selected contractor will last one and a half to two months, setting up a late summer to early fall start to construction. Once construction activities start on the site, it could take at least a month before demolition of the old library happens.

Opening of the new Vienna-Carter Library is expected in summer 2027. The larger, 19,000-square-foot library will have a net-zero energy design and seek a 50 percent reduction over current energy standards, according to Alcorn. In partnership with the Town of Vienna, the library site will have 209-space parking garage, which includes 125 spaces for library users and the remaining 84 parking spaces for commuter and public parking.

"Until that new library opens up, this temporary library will hopefully serve all your needs as we wait for the new facility to open up," said Alcorn.