Salt Lake City Public Library rooftop terrace to reopen
May 15, 2025, 7:00 AM | Updated: 10:12 am
A green roof, which can help mitigate heat islands, is pictured on the Salt Lake City Public Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Public Library rooftop is set to reopen to the public. It’s been closed for repairs for nearly two years.
Multiple leaks closed the Salt Lake City Public Library roof in 2023. Director of Marketing and Communications Quinn McQueen said they reached out to the community for help designing the replacement.
“We got almost two thousand points of community feedback,” McQueen explained. “That is ultimately what drove the design and then the renovation project.”
Similar to the old one, the renovated roof includes tables and chairs. It also has a play area for children and some beehives.
Salt Lake City Public Library rooftop covered without taxpayer help
According to McQueen, the library saved up money to cover the $10 million repairs without help from taxpayers.
“We saved up year over year so we didn’t ask for a tax increase to cover any of that.”
She says the roof can hold up to 400 people for various events like rooftop yoga and concerts. The Salt Lake City library will host a reopening party on Saturday at 1 p.m.
More Salt Lake City library reading: Salt Lake City’s Main Library: 125 years of history
