JoCo Library’s original branch is closing. Here’s a look back at its nearly 70-year history.
Antioch Library in the 1950s. Photo via JoCo History.
The original branch in the Johnson County Library system is getting set to permanently close its doors after nearly 70 years in operation.
Antioch Library, 8700 Shawnee Mission Pkwy., will cease operations after Sunday, Jan. 28, in order to make way for the new Merriam Plaza Library branch nearby.
The Antioch branch first opened in 1956 as Johnson County Library’s first official branch and served as the county library system’s headquarters for decades before Central Resource opened in the mid-1990s.
“Everybody just loves this branch,” Assistant Branch Manager Sheida Bates is quoted in a post to the library’s website. “And the people who grew up coming to the branch are now bringing their kids here.”
Its replacement, Merriam Plaza, is set to open its doors for the first time on March 20 next to the Merriam Community Center just a few blocks away from the Antioch branch.
As Antioch Library prepares for its final days, here’s a look back on the longtime library branch through historic photos.
The exterior of Antioch Library, circa 1956. Photo courtesy Johnson County Library.Shelves line the walls inside Antioch Library, circa 1956 to 1957. Photo via JoCo History.Patrons inside the newly opened Antioch Library, circa 1957. Photo via JoCo History.Tables inside Antioch Library are filled with books as younger patrons read and hang out, circa 1957. Photo via JoCo History.Patrons appear to line up around the librarian’s desk at the Antioch Library, circa 1957. Photo via JoCo History.People gather outside of the Antioch Library for a re-opening ceremony in 1996, which came after the opening of Central Resource Library in Overland Park. Photo courtesy Johnson County Library.Johnson County Library representatives believe the photo above is also from the re-opening ceremony of Antioch Library. From left to right, Scott Wasserman of the Library Board, the Wild Thing from Maurice Sendak’s classic “Where the Wild Things Are,” and then-County Librarian Mona Carmack. Photo courtesy Johnson County Library.A librarian smiling at the Antioch Library’s youth services desk in summer 1999. Photo courtesy Johnson County Library.The beloved reading nooks in the kids area at Antioch Library during summer 2005, when the reading program theme was “Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds.” Photo courtesy Johnson County Library.
? Hi! I’m Juliana Garcia, and I cover Prairie Village and northeast Johnson County for the Johnson County Post.
I grew up in Roeland Park and graduated from Shawnee Mission North before going on to the University of Kansas, where I wrote for the University Daily Kansan and earned my bachelor’s degree in journalism. Prior to joining the Post in 2019, I worked as an intern at the Kansas City Business Journal.
