Belleview & Dunnellon Public Libraries

VITETTA was selected to design a prototype Library in Belleview for Marion County, Florida. The County then approved the schematic design for the prototype, and subsequently authorized the first site-adapt of the prototype for the town of Dunnellon, FL. The unusual design directive sought the local vernacular style of architecture called “Cracker”.  Most Cracker style buildings are modest houses, many with unpainted wood siding and metal roofs. This directive was achieved using a cement siding product and other durable, commercial materials such as a standing seam roof, yet evoking the simple character and scale desired for the context. The Library includes 16,000 sf of space. Both the Belleview and Dunnellon Libraries are in rural settings in the Florida horse country, atypical of the familiar Florida coastal areas and each library was planned to offer extraordinary pastoral/rustic views from the stack reading areas.