The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park
Growing a Library in Green Space – Opening in Fall 2026
Join us in creating a vibrant space where community takes root, sparking creativity, growth, and learning for visitors of all ages. The first new Madison Public Library branch in a generation, The Imagination Center will serve the city’s northeast sides and become our tenth neighborhood library branch.
Leave Your Mark on The Imagination Center's Donor Wall
We’re inviting supporters to give $100 or more as part of The Imagination Center’s capital campaign. Donors who give at or above that level will have their names included on a donor wall that welcomes all visitors to the first new Madison Public Library branch in a generation.
Your Gift Creates Access to Critical Library Services
Madison Public Library thrives because of the generosity of our donors. Your gift supports provides critical library services, innovative programming; the curation of diverse collections; and the expansion of access in neighborhoods that lack library access.
The Capital Campaign to Support Reindahl Park
Last year, Madison Public Library Foundation kicked off a $5 million Capital Campaign last year, to support the construction of The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park, the Library’s tenth branch, which will serve the city’s northeast side and the rapidly growing neighborhood situated along the East Washington Avenue corridor.
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Located to Serve and Inspire All of Madison
The Imagination Center will be conveniently located to serve the East Washington Avenue corridor, in a rapidly growing neighborhood. Reindahl Park is served by Madison Public Transportation’s Rapid Transit Line. With a serene setting, a combined city menu of services from Madison Public Library and the Madison Park District, the Imagination Center interweaves nature, play, and learning, and will be a neighborhood asset that will also lift up the entire city — closing service gaps and improving equity, and serving as a destination for all of Madison.
“The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will provide the northeast side with desperately needed services, including library and community meeting space. It will open doors to families who struggle to afford computer and internet access, provide educational opportunities for children and adults struggling with literacy, and provide access to city services to an underserviced portion of our city. This space will serve as a community hub that brings people together and expands economic opportunities.”
A Unique Collaboration Creates Opportunities for Innovative Programming
This unique collaboration involves four partners: Madison Public Library Foundation, Madison Public Library, City of Madison Engineering, and Madison Parks. We’re all working together to make the center a magnet for community investment and development — like Pinney, Meadowridge, Goodman South Madison, and Sequoya libraries in their respective neighborhoods—and a destination for families. Imagine storytime and a splash pad, a seed library and a community garden, soccer and cricket fields and library programming purpose-built to create community.
A Successful Public-Private Partnership
Every newly constructed or remodeled Madison Public Library has been funded through a successful public-private partnership, and the Imagination Center will be no different in this regard. The City of Madison has approved funding for the new library and has committed to covering ongoing operating costs.
Jimena Maier
Northeast side resident and Bilingual Resource Teacher, Mendota Elementary School
“The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will be nestled in a location with incredible potential to make an impact on the lives of those who reside in its surrounding neighborhoods. Currently, this area is considered a resource desert with little to no basic and necessary resources available, especially for those with transportation challenges. Our children and families deserve to have a space where they can feel supported, represented, engaged and loved.”
Why Does Madison Need Another Library?
The Imagination Center vision emerged after years of library staff-guided research and community input sessions to identify gaps in civic and social services on the north and east sides of the city.
Over a period of five years, library staff reached out to residents from all backgrounds — people of color, immigrants, the elderly, youth, and low-income families — in grassroots, face-to-face listening sessions.
The collective brainstorming quickly demonstrated the demand for a northeast side library and city services center.
Currently, no existing library is within walking distance from the northeast side. Hawthorne is the nearest library but is almost three miles away. The northeast side also lacks a public gathering place where people can hold meetings or celebrations or a space for cultural and arts engagement opportunities.
The Neighborhoods near Reindahl Park are growing and diverse.
11 percent of residents were born outside the U.S. 30-40% of students in nearby schools are English Language Learners.
Over More than 65 percent of MMSD students living in the area qualify for free or reduced price lunch.
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21 percent of residents are under 18 and 80% of youth are youth of color.
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The area’s population grew by 11 percent between 2010 and 2022, compared with 3.4 percent statewide
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9 percent of residents lack internet access
Joe Clausius
Northeast side resident and former District 17 Madison Common Council member
“Creation of the Imagination Center is a true snapshot of hundreds of community members determined to make a difference. Thanks to their dedication and diligence, Madison’s far east side will no longer be known as a library desert. In addition to gaining a library, a community hub will be created to serve the diverse needs of the surrounding neighborhoods. The community creation of the Imagination Center is another example of why Madison is considered one of our nation’s most desirable places to live.”
A Contextual-Based Design Approach
The Imagination Center’s design capitalizes on the location to integrate art, culture, landscape design, and other elements into the park. Participation of the Ho-Chunk Nation in design conversations will honor and celebrate its ancestral land. The building will be a single story with flexible, flowing spaces designed for many uses, as well as a rentable four-season pavilion. Outdoors, there will be gardens, activity space for programs, and a fully accessible playground to serve children with disabilities.
Major Support Provided By
Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation and W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation
Lau & Bea Christensen
Diane Ballweg
Anonymous
Oscar Rennebohm Foundation Inc.
Madison Community Foundation
Anonymous
Evjue Foundation
Nimick Forbesway Foundation
Jim & Jessica Yehle
Roots & Wings Foundation
Sherry & Douglas Caves
Additional Support Provided By
MG&E Foundation
Friends of Sequoya Library
Jane Doughty & David Wood
Rhonda & Phil Plourd
Courtier Foundation, Inc.
Leah Sandholm
PRL Keystone Foundation
Campaign Leaders
Bea Christensen – Honorary Co-Chair
Lau Christensen – Honorary Co-Chair
Heather Clefisch – Chair
Cabinet Members
Grant Frautschi
Noel Goeddel
Tara Grays
Dana Hatch
Liz Lauer
Advisors
Sheila Conroy
Jenifer Kraemer
Alder Sabrina Madison
Kathleen Woit
Mike Wygocki
Project Design Leaders
Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Administration Services: JLA Architects | Landscape Architecture: Saiki Design | Engineering: GRAEF | Visioning, Project Management, and Interior Design: Margaret Sullivan Studio | Library Planner: Rynn Kerkhove | General Contractor: Corporate Contractors, Inc.