Imagination Center at Reindahl Park

media release: The City’s Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is ready for the next step in the construction process, and the city needs your input at its next virtual public information meeting, 6 p.m., Nov. 6, 2023, via Zoom. Registration prior is required. 

   Nov. 6, 2023 Public Information Meeting Registration      

The new community facility will include a library and a park pavilion to be built at 1818 Portage Road, Madison, Wis., 53704, at Reindahl Park. It is a 17,500 square foot facility, that will serve as a vibrant, multifunctional indoor-outdoor library and community space, bringing much-needed library and city services to northeast Madison.        

Join Engineering, Library, and Parks staff and representatives from JLA Architects to review current designs for the building and learn more about the project.     

Vision  

The Imagination Center is a unique collaboration that involves four partners: Madison Public Library, City of Madison Engineering, Madison Parks and Madison Public Library Foundation.  The Imagination Center will be conveniently located off East Washington Avenue in a high-visibility corridor and serve a rapidly growing residential population.  With a serene setting, a combined city services menu, and an interweaving of nature, play and learning, the center will lift up the entire city.  It will close service gaps and improve equity.      

Background/History  

The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park vision emerged after years of Madison Public Library staff-guided research and community input sessions to identify gaps in civic and social services on the east side. Over a period of five years, library staff reached out to residents from all backgrounds in grassroots, face-to-face listening sessions, resulting in a demonstrated need for a northeast side library and city services center.  The Imagination Center will serve approximately 26,000 residents on the city’s diverse northeast side.  Please visit the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Scoping Study PDF  pdf  and Imagination Center at Reindahl Park for additional information.      

Funding   

Design and construction of the shared Parks and Library facility is budgeted at $18.6 million.     

Design and Construction Process   

To date, the project has completed 2 of the 4 standard design phases (Pre-Design (PD) and Schematic Design (SD)) and is currently in the 3rd phase, Design Development (DD). Stakeholders have determined the overall program, vision, and schematic plan of the Imagination Center. Further, the design team is in the process of developing major technical details of the building and site elements and systems. Prior to the completion of the DD phase, the overall project team will collaboratively work to articulate the building and site design. Doing so will ready the project for the final phase of design, Construction Documents (CD) – upon completion of CDs, all systems and elements of the facility and site will be fully designed and specified for Bidding and Construction phases.