Photograph of Parade to Ribbon Cutting at Reopening of the Old Worthington Library

Pictured here are staff and patrons of the Old Worthington Library, marching to the library from the parking lot of what was then Jubilee Foods (at 900 High Street, as of 2024 the site of CVS Pharmacy), about a block north of the library. The marchers were celebrating the grand reopening of the library location, following an extensive renovation project including replacement of the library’s roof.

The picture shows several marchers in the parade heading east on North Street into the morning sun. Visible in the background is the building at 926 High Street. The parade kicked off at 8:30 that morning.

The reopening celebration followed over a year of renovations on the building, which began in April, 1996. The library, then located at 805 Hartford Street, closed the building for roof repairs and renovations; operations for the library, including staff and materials, were moved next door to the former NBD Bank building at 820 High Street, which the library had purchased in 1993.

Renovations took place between July 16, 1996 and August 25, 1997, during which time workers also built a connector between the library and bank building.

The library building reopened to the public on August 11, 1996, and renovations to the bank building began, converting it into the library’s administrative and technical services offices and adding a large meeting room space.

An article by Tiffany Volpe in the August 13, 1997 “Worthington Suburbia News” describes the newly reopened library: “People milled around, looking at the new carpet, two murals on loan from the Worthington Historical Society and the children’s area, called Bookingham Forest.”

The grand reopening celebration on August 23, 1997, which includes the parade shown here, also featured two ribbon-cutting ceremonies, live music, hourly tours of the building, a scavenger hunt, and cake and fruit refreshments.

The library held a dedication ceremony for the building on July 7, 1998.