Best Instagram photos of Austin’s Central Library grand opening party

No otherworldly force could have conjured up the quintessentially human kind of “sunny day everything’s A-OK,” Sesame Street-theme-song day that marked the opening, the lonnnnnnnggggg-awaited opening, of Austin’s new Central Library Downtown Saturday. The day was dry, sunny, and fresh, lighted by blue skies and the excitement in the eyes and hearts of all those who attended opening-day ceremonies. That kind of atmosphere is, around here, the state of things, the way things should be, and often are.

The Lake|Flato-designed space was an instant hit for most attendees (many of whom had been keep track of the goings-on from the exterior for many a month)—architecture buffs, literary adults, city-planning geeks, and toddlers alike seemed to exult in the giant open spaces, filled with light, the geometric combinations made by stairs and shadows, the pops of color, the outdoor patios and indoor reading areas—and the views, damn, the views.

We, as a civic body, are indeed fortunate to receive and experience the wonder that is the new Central Library—a great feat of not only design and sustainability, but of pure pleasure as well.

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