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Tornado-damaged St. Louis Public Library branches reopen with new resources
By Katie Grawitch0%
5/19/2026, 10:00:00 AM
Topics: Culture And History
BS Summary: The article has not yet been analyzed.
Two St.
Louis Public Library locations are reopening this week, a year after they were battered by a deadly tornado.
The Julia Davis branch in Penrose and the Cabanne branch in Academy opened Monday after receiving repairs for fallen ceilings and water damage.
The storm tore the HVAC unit off the roof of the Julia Davis Library and blew a large piece of wood through one of the cinder block walls.
The rain that came a few days later flooded the building and destroyed the floors.
John Newcomer has managed the location since 2012.
He said the water damage compounded the already costly structural repair costs.
“This was not just some water leaks — this was pure devastation,” Newcomer said.
“We [wanted] to get open as soon as possible, but in order to do so, we had to remediate the entire building."
The revamped branch will now rent tools to tornado-impacted residents and help visitors digitize old tapes and photo negatives.
It will also see the return of native plants to its shade garden, which was destroyed in the storm.
Also returning is the library’s computer lab, which provides internet access to many patrons.
The building also houses recording studios, 3D printers and a Cricut cutting machine.
Nicholas Allen has been coming to the Julia Davis branch since he was a child.
He said he’s grateful to have a space to make music again.
“I’m going to be here a whole lot more,” Allen said.
"This is my home away from home.
This day is going to be the first of many.”
Newcomer said there’s been high demand for the location to reopen.
“I feel like I'm at a family reunion,” Newcomer said.
“It's just fun, I think, for everyone to be back home.”
Repairs at the Cabanne branch in the Academy neighborhood include restoration of a clerestory ceiling from 1907 with original windows and crown molding.
Carrie Haman has worked at the Cabanne location since 2020.
She was there when the tornado hit and remembers sheltering in the janitor’s closet on the lower level while the storm blew over.
“When we got the all clear, we came upstairs, and we could see that the drop ceiling around the customer service desk and the lights up there had fallen in,” Haman said.
“I don't think I realized how bad it was.
To see this community just devastated was really difficult.”
Haman said it felt surreal to be back in the building.
“To be here for the community because they've lost so much, as they go through the process of rebuilding, means a great deal to me and to my staff,” Haman said.
There’s still work to be done at both locations.
The library system plans to install two new chandeliers in the clerestory ceiling of Cabanne Library, and Newcomer said the Julia Davis location will have solar panels installed on the roof in the next month.
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