Rinconada Library

Rinconada Library is the low, glassy building on Newell Road across from the Palo Alto Art Center. For more than half a century it was simply the Main Library. Edward Durell Stone, one of the best-known American architects of the 1950s, designed it. After a two-year renovation it reopened on Valentine's Day 2015 with a new name, new study rooms and modern heating and cooling hidden inside the old shell.

It is one of only two branches open seven days a week and the home of the library's local history collection. This page covers the building's history, the renovation, what you will find inside, hours for late 2026 and how to get there. For all five branches, see our Palo Alto libraries guide.

From Main Library to Rinconada

The library's own history page says voters approved a $700,000 bond in 1956 to build two new libraries, a main library and the first Mitchell Park branch. The Main Library opened in 1958. Stone set it among trees on the civic campus along Newell Road, near the then-new city hall that later became the Art Center.

The building got its first big update in 1982 to 1984, when a renovation added 2,200 square feet of staff workspace. By the 2000s it needed far more. In November 2008 Palo Alto voters passed Measure N, a $76 million bond to renovate and rebuild the city's libraries. The Main Library's share of that work began when the building closed on April 30, 2013.

While it was closed the city chose a new name. Palo Alto Online reported in April 2014 that Rinconada had been picked, the same name as the park behind the building. The library held its grand reopening on Saturday, February 14, 2015, as part of Library Lovers Month. It marked ten years since the renovation with a celebration in early 2025 that included architectural tours.

Stone's building and the 2015 renovation

Stone designed three major buildings in and around Palo Alto: this library, the Stanford Medical Center that opened in 1959 and, through his firm, the City Hall tower at 250 Hamilton Avenue finished in 1970. The library director has called Rinconada "an important example of mid-century modernism." Our guide to mid-century modern Palo Alto compares the three.

Group 4 Architecture, the firm that also designed the new Mitchell Park Library, led the renovation. The library lists what changed:

• Four group study rooms and a new lobby.
• The Embarcadero program room for talks, classes and events.
• A ground source heat pump system with a radiant floor slab.
• Structural brace frames to strengthen the building.
• Low-flow plumbing and energy-efficient LED lighting.

Look for public art outside. At the 2015 reopening the library offered tours of its outdoor artwork, including Brilliance by Joe O'Connell and Blessing Hancock.

What is inside

Rinconada has a full general collection for adults, teens and children. A few features set it apart from the other branches:

• Local Interest Collection. Print and digital material on Palo Alto. The library says the physical collection is housed only at Rinconada, which makes it the place to start any local history research.
• Seed Library. Free seeds for home gardeners to borrow, plant and, ideally, return as saved seed.
• Library of Things. Non-book items you can check out with a card.
• Study rooms. Four rooms named Duveneck, Crescent Park, Leland Manor and St. Francis, after Palo Alto neighborhoods. Book online up to a week ahead for two hours, for up to four people. Each has a TV for screen sharing.
• Teen zone. A dedicated area for teens to study and hang out.
• Computers, Wi-Fi and printing. The free PA_OverAir_Library network needs no password. Printing costs 15 cents a page in black and white and 50 cents in color.
• Drive-up book return. Handy when you just need to drop off.

The library has also announced a second location of its Vintage Media Lab at Rinconada, where you can digitize old tapes, slides and photos. Its calendar lists lab sessions, but book through the library to confirm which branch you are booked at. Our free Wi-Fi and computers guide covers public tech access around town.

Programs

Rinconada runs programs most days. In early November 2026 its calendar listed Tai Chi with Nelson Ng on Sunday morning, November 1, a Philosophy for Life discussion that afternoon, a Vintage Media Lab session on November 3 and a monthly ICYMI Movie Matinee on selected Sundays. A Practice Your Vote display ran through November 4. Storytimes for young children rotate among branches. Find current listings on the library's events page and our storytimes guide.

Hours and holiday closures

In late October 2026 the library listed these hours for Rinconada:

The branch page also lists holiday changes for the rest of 2026. It closes on Veterans Day, November 11, closes at 5 p.m. on November 25 and is closed on November 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving. It closes at 5 p.m. on December 24 and December 31 and is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Unlike the three smaller branches, Rinconada does not shut for the whole week between Christmas and New Year's. Check the Rinconada branch page before a holiday trip.

Getting there and parking

The library is at 1213 Newell Road, directly across the street from the Art Center. The library lists a lot of about 89 spaces with EV charging stations and carpool spaces, plus more parking between the library and the Art Center. Parking is free. Spaces are tightest on weekend afternoons and during big events at the Art Center.

Cyclists have it easy. The library lists bike racks and bike repair stations and the city's network of bike boulevards makes it an easy, low-traffic ride from most neighborhoods. On foot it is about 25 minutes from downtown or a short walk from the Community Center and Crescent Park neighborhoods. Our page on the Community Center neighborhood describes the streets around it.

What is nearby

Rinconada sits in the middle of one of Palo Alto's best family blocks. Across the street is the free Palo Alto Art Center. Behind it lies Rinconada Park, with playgrounds, tennis courts and the year-round Rinconada Pool. The Junior Museum and Zoo is a few minutes' walk away on Middlefield Road and the Lucie Stern Community Center and the Children's Library are a short stroll beyond it.

Frequently asked questions