Sculpture installed at new home of Elk Grove Library honors book-lending pioneer
A new sculpture has been installed outside the future home of the Elk Grove Library.
The sculpture, made from 32 streetlights by artist Aaron T. Stephan, is located at the corner of Elk Grove Boulevard and Waterman Road. The title of the sculpture is “Radiant Eddy,” according to an Instagram post from the city of Elk Grove.
“The sculpture honors Harriet Eddy, who helped establish California’s county free library system and founded Elk Grove’s first library,” the post read. The librarian is also the namesake of one of Elk Grove’s middle schools.
The new site of the Elk Grove Library at 9260 Elk Grove Blvd. adds about 4,000 square feet of space and nearly double the parking as the current site at 8900 Elk Grove Blvd., just one mile west.
The city purchased the new 18,147 square-foot site for $3 million in January 2021. It was formerly a Rite Aid Pharmacy that closed in 2019.
The new library will include a children’s space with an outdoor patio; a teen space; a community room; two study rooms; a maker space, which can include sewing machines, craft supplies, musical instruments and 3D printers; and a “library of things,” with items available for checkout such as gardening tools, power tools, kitchen equipment and musical equipment, according to the Sacramento Public Library, which operates libraries in Sacramento County.
The cost of the new library’s design and construction is $15.3 million, a spokesperson for the city of Elk Grove previously told The Sacramento Bee.
The library is expected to open this fall, according to the city’s post.
