Apple® today previewed its newest location at the Carnegie Library on
Mount Vernon Square. This is Apple’s most extensive historic restoration
project to date, restoring and revitalizing the Beaux-Arts style
building once home to Washington, D.C.’s Central Public Library.
Originally funded by Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1903, the library
will once again be a center for learning, discovery and creativity for
the community, keeping with Carnegie’s vision of a public and free space
for all.
Apple Carnegie Library will host free daily Today at Apple® programming,
including sessions led by local artists and world class creators. To
celebrate the opening, 40 artists will lead sessions during the six-week
StoryMaker Festival. At the store, customers can explore Apple’s latest
products and work with over 225 highly trained staff members offering
advice and technical support, as well as assistance for small businesses.
“Whether customers come to explore new products, visit one of our
Geniuses or unlock their creativity in a Today at Apple session, Apple
Carnegie Library is a place for everyone,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s
senior vice president of Retail + People. “We are excited to share this
magnificent space with all of our visitors in Washington, D.C., and to
provide a home for inspiration for the next generation.”
Carnegie Library on Mount Vernon Square also features the new DC History
Center, which includes the Kiplinger Research Library, three galleries
and a museum store, all owned and operated by the 125-year-old
Historical Society of Washington, D.C. To restore the building to its
original grandeur, Apple worked with conservation experts to carefully
preserve the historic facades, return interior spaces to their original
footprints, and restore distinctive early 20th-century detailing. Foster
+ Partners worked in close collaboration with Apple’s Chief Design
Officer Jony Ive to give this cultural icon a new lease of life.
“I love the synergy between old and new, the juxtaposition of the
historic fabric and contemporary design,” said Ive. “In its ‘new’ phase
of life, Apple Carnegie Library will be a way for us to share our ideas
and excitement about the products we create, while giving people a sense
of community and encouraging and nurturing creativity. It has been a
significant honor to restore the Carnegie Library for the people of
Washington, D.C.”
Visitors to Apple Carnegie Library are welcomed by a revitalized grand
entry plaza on K Street, and a new grand entry staircase on Mount Vernon
Place creates an inviting route through the building to the adjacent
Convention Center and neighboring Shaw District. The library’s Vermont
marble facade and sculptures on the south are completely restored.
A skylight that once illuminated the original library’s circulation desk
in the heart of the building returns with a new design to transform the
space into a soaring double-height atrium. The dramatic gathering space,
called the Forum, is the new home for Today at Apple in Washington, D.C.
Visitors can attend free daily sessions focused on photography,
filmmaking, music creation, coding, design and more.
For six weeks following opening, the StoryMaker Festival will bring
together 40 artists, poets, activists, musicians, photographers,
filmmakers, lawmakers and community builders to celebrate storytelling
and inspire attendees to tell their own stories. The festival will
conclude with a weekend block party to celebrate the stories the
community has come together to share.
The area that housed the book stacks is now the Genius Grove where
Apple’s team of Geniuses will offer personalized technical support and
advice. A grand staircase leads to the DC History Center on the second
floor and the Carnegie Gallery in the basement, which displays historic
photographs and documents for the public to learn about the origins and
history of the building.
Nearly half of the store’s employees are Washington, D.C. residents and
others have joined from Apple stores across the region and country. The
team speaks 27 languages, including more than 20 team members fluent in
American Sign Language.
Apple Carnegie Library and the DC History Center open at Carnegie
Library on Mount Vernon Square Saturday at 10 a.m. To sign up for Today
at Apple sessions, visit apple.com/today
and the StoryMakers Festival page.
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the
Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software
platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences
across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services
including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more
than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on
earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom),
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© 2019 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, Today at Apple and the
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may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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