The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is currently under construction at 1814 Parkside Dr. with an anticipated completion date of September 2026.
Follow along with our progress by watching the Construction Cam, which updates every 15 minutes with new images from the site.
Subscribe to the Imagination Center Newsletter
Project Vision & Background
Dreams. Visions. Ideas. Hopes. Wishes.
In the hundreds of Madison Public Library staff-led conversations with northeast side residents and neighborhood leaders to develop a new library and community hub concept for Reindahl Park, these are the words that repeatedly surfaced.
These words formed the inspiration for what we know today as the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park, a multifunctional, indoor-outdoor library, parks pavilion, and community space that will be the first-ever library facility within a Madison park.
Located off E. Washington Ave at Portage Rd., the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will help connect library and city services to the northeast side of Madison.
The Imagination Center is a unique collaboration that involves four partners: Madison Public Library, City of Madison Engineering, Madison Parks and Madison Public Library Foundation.
Madison Public Library Foundation
Madison Public Library Foundation
The anticipated capital funding cost of the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is more than $18 million with construction, furnishings, and the opening day collection included. The city will contribute the majority of these funds, but the library also received a $4.5 million Flexible Facilities Grant that will reduce the total amount borrowed by the city for the project.
Additionally, the Madison Public Library Foundation has committed to raising $4.5 million in private donations for the capital campaign. You can follow along with their progress or be part of the solution.
City of Madison Engineering
Their project page contains a monthly update on the construction progress at the site, as well as what's coming up next for the planned work.
The Engineering page also has a round-up of recent news, lists all past or upcoming public meetings, and outlines more in-depth project details.
We'll continue to partner with City of Madison Engineering as the project progresses to make sure that we're on track to meet sustainability and energy efficiency standards. In particular, we hope to remain on track to have the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park join four of our other libraries* in achieving a LEED certification.
*Central, Sequoya, Goodman South Madison, and Pinney Libraries
Madison Parks
The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is the first Madison Public Library location to be situated within a Madison Park! The library will also be adjoining a four-season parks pavilion, which will provide additional rental and meeting space for community members.
Reindahl Park is already an exciting hub of activity, with a community garden, splash pad, tennis and pickleball courts, cricket field, and much more on offer. We look forward to partnering with neighborhood groups and hearing from the community about how library service can add to the mix.
Visit the Reindahl Park page to learn about the exciting activities and amenities that future library patrons can tap into when visiting the library.
Progress Photos
See the latest photos taken at the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park!
- Books & Movies & CDs, Oh My!: Building the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Collection
- Under Construction: Progress Photos from the Site
- How it all started: Photos from the Groundbreaking
We'll continue to add more photos to the Madison Public Library Flickr account as the project progresses, so be sure to check there for updates along the way.
Applications Open for Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Public Art
You already know that the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is going to be unique - it's the first Madison Public Library located within a park, and it also gets to share space with a four-seasons park pavilion, which will offer even more reserveable space for families and businesses on the northeast side. Now, we're looking to make it even more special as we open a public art call for the space! The City of Madison, the Madison Arts Commission, and The Bubbler at Madison Public Library are seeking a qualified public artist to create original artwork for the outdoor patio area. This exciting opportunity offers a $70,000 commission for an artist or artist team to create a significant public art installation that will serve as a centerpiece for the new facility. Artists have until noon on Wed, August 27, 2025 to apply.
-updated August 27, 2025
Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Breaks Ground
On Thursday, May 8 we took a big step forward in building Madison Public Library's tenth library location when we broke ground on the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park!
The event took place on the future site of the library and parks pavilion with nearly one hundred people in attendance to witness the exciting moment. Key stakeholders like Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Madison Public Library Director Tana Elias, Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld, Madison Public Library Foundation Executive Director Conor Moran, Alders Sabrina Madison and Julia Matthews, and more talked about what kinds of programs, services, and resources the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will bring to the 19,000+ residents it will serve.
We invite you to watch the recording of the groundbreaking and subscribe to the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park newsletter to stay updated as the project gets underway. We can't wait to walk through the doors of the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park together in fall 2026!
-Updated May 8, 2025
Project to Receive $4.25 Million in FFP Funding
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) announced in October 2024 that the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park would receive $4.25 million in grant funding through the DOA’s Flexible Facilities Program (FFP), funded through the U.S. Treasury Capital Projects Fund (CPF) as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act.
- Updated October 10, 2024
Building Has Begun
We broke ground on the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park at the beginning of May, and you might be asking yourself, "What now?"
Now, the real fun can begin! Corporate Contractors Inc. (CCI) has already been hard at work within Reindahl Park.
In June, CCI set up an office trailer on site, added protective fencing for the trees, and cut and sub-graded a bike bath around the site that is already being used by local residents to navigate through the park!
Additionally, the current Reindahl Park shelter was demolished in order to make way for the new park shelter and library. You can now follow along with the progress happening at Reindahl Park thanks to a live construction site camera provided by CCI.
- Updated July 7, 2025
Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Project Moves Forward; Bid Awarded
The construction process for the City’s Imagination Center at Reindahl Park (ICRP) project is moving forward with the construction contract awarded to Corporate Contractors Inc., as the lowest responsible bidder. A total of six bids were received for the project. View bid results. Corporate Contractors Inc (CCI) submitted the lowest bid total of $12,259,000. Construction is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2025 and be complete in Summer 2026.
- Updated April 16, 2025
Construction Process Begins with Bid Announcement
The City of Madison Engineering Division is calling all interested and prequalified contractors to submit a bid to work on the City’s new Imagination Center at Reindahl Park (ICRP), the first Madison Public Library facility to be built in a City of Madison Park.
- Updated February 19, 2025
Planning Documents
Imagination Center at Reindahl Park, Scoping Study. March 2020.
Eastside Strategic Plan - Communities Inspiring Libraries. Madison Public Library, 2016.
Imagination Center at Reindahl Park in the News
Imagination Center at Reindahl Park moves full steam ahead. InBusiness, April 21, 2025.
Imagination Center at Reindahl Park to bring library, community resources to East Side, Patricia Clark. Badger Herald, April 19, 2025.
City of Madison seeks contractors to bid work for upcoming Imagination Center at Reindahl Park, Samantha Calderon. Channel3000, February 19, 2025.
Imagination Center at Reindahl Park gets $4.25 million grant. Amber Noggle. WKOW.com, October 10, 2024.
Madison’s first park-based library faces budget concerns. Nicholas Garton., August 29, 2024.
Proposed budget cuts could impact “Imagination Center” project. Tabitha Bland. Channel 15, August 15, 2024.
Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Moves Forward, Meeting Set. City of Madison News. October 24, 2024.
Open House for Upcoming Plans in Northeast Area. Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway Blog. March 27, 2023.
Madison to update master plan for sprawling Reindahl Park as big project there looms. Dean Mosiman. Wisconsin State Journal, July 30, 2022.
Preliminary designs show vision for new 'Imagination Center' library at Reindahl Park. Logan Reigstad. Channel3000. January 27, 2022.
First public meeting set for new Imagination Center at Reindahl Park. Andrew Walker. WKOW.com. January 27, 2022.
Madison unveils $16.1 million 'Imagination Center' with library, pavilion at Reindahl Park. Dean Mosiman. Wisconsin State Journal. January 26, 2022.
City and library release "Imagination Center" plans for Reindahl Park. Marcus Aarsvold. NBC15 TV. January 26, 2022.
From civic space to child care, east side residents envision possibilities for proposed Reindahl Imagination Center. Abigail Becker. The Cap Times. March 4, 2020.
Soil Drilling, Testing to Begin in Reindahl Park. Hannah Mohelnitzky. City of Madison Press Release. November 19, 2019.
Ald. Samba Baldeh: Reindahl Park Library Would Bring Services to Those with Greatest Needs. Samba Baldeh, District 17 Alder. The Cap Times. October 17, 2019.
Snakes and Slides: How Locals are Imagining the Reindahl Imagination Center. Michelle Baik, NBC-15 TV. October 8, 2019.
Reindahl Imagination Center Would Be More Than "A Library in a Park". Abigail Becker, The Cap Times. June 17, 2019.
Madison Considers Building $17M Library, Community Center at Reindahl Park. Dean Mosiman, Wisconsin State Journal. August 9, 2017.