The New Southdale Library Is Also Where Edina Gets Its Kilns Back

When did you last throw a pot at the Edina Art Center? For anyone who started after 2019, the answer is never. The pottery areas at 4701 W. 64th St. have stayed closed since building code problems were identified that year. The building now runs as a registered program facility with limited use of its main floor.

The fix is going up inside a library. Hennepin County's new Southdale Library, rising near York Avenue South and West 70th Street, will give the Edina Art Center its second floor. That includes a separate kiln structure whose steel frame already stands on the site. Crews are trying to close in the building before winter. That makes this season the last full stretch in which both institutions run on stopgaps.

A Pottery Studio Already Has a Frame

The Art Center opened in 1977 in a house built in 1948 and was expanded in the mid-1990s. After the 2019 code findings, the City of Edina ran a program and space study. It looked at options for art space that could hold several mediums plus pottery for all ages, and the city and county then began exploring an art center on the library's second floor. The city's project page now says the Art Center is moving into the new building.

The kilns got an early start in the construction schedule. In Hennepin County's May 12, 2026 construction update, the parking ramp enclosure was nearly complete and the Edina Art Center kiln area was taking shape. By September, the county's progress photos showed a steel framed structure labeled "future home of Edina Art Center kilns."

The renderings the city got from MSR Design in January show three of the new art spaces: a classroom, a ceramic wheel-throwing room and a gallery. According to the county's project FAQ, the Art Center will be a tenant under a lease. The county builds the building, and Edina fits out the Art Center space.

How a Library Ended Up With a Kiln Plaza

The shared building makes more sense once you know what used to be on the site. The old Southdale Library, built in 1971, stood on a 7.69-acre campus. That campus also held a Resident & Real Estate Service Center and district courts. Those county functions have since moved. That is why, per the FAQ, the new library is smaller than the building it replaced. Once the courts and service center were gone, the site had room for a second civic tenant.

The county did consider other spots. The FAQ explains why the library didn't move into Southdale Center: the pandemic shook retail real estate, so the county chose to rebuild on land it already owned, keeping the library stable however the retail market changes. The FAQ puts the full project at an estimated $106.8 million, funded with general obligation bonds. That figure covers consulting, demolition, stormwater work, green space, furniture and technology.

The county announced the groundbreaking in a story published January 15, 2026, noting that the project had been in development for more than a decade. In Hennepin County's account of the ceremony, Commissioner Heather Edelson said, "We are building more than a library. We are building a place where people will come to feel seen, supported and inspired."

Where the Building Stands This Month

The most recent county update, dated October 12, describes a site that is starting to look finished from the outside. Half of the planned trees went in on the south side next to the new stormwater basins. They were grown at the Hennepin County gravel-bed nursery and planted by the county's Forestry crews. The final basin filled with water as designed after recent heavy rain.

Next on the list are entry canopies, curtain wall frames, stairwells, roofing, and enclosing the building by winter. Work that shapes how the place will feel inside, such as choosing commissioned art and early learning play elements and selecting furniture, is also in progress. The FAQ says a grand opening date will be announced as the building nears completion. Until then, the end of 2027 is the county's estimate, not a fixed date.

Some of what is planned will change how people use this corner of York Avenue, beyond the library and art rooms. The county lists a light-filled atrium for both library and arts events, outdoor plazas, geothermal energy, solar panels, native landscaping designed to handle 95 percent of annual rainfall, and a trailhead connection to the Nine Mile Creek Trail. The multimodal trail on the south side of the site was already under development in September.

The Stopgaps, Spelled Out

Until the building opens, library service and art programming in Edina are split across several places.

Holds pickup at Yorktown Mall. The temporary Southdale space is at 3519 Hazelton Road. It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and takes your library card and PIN to get in. Hennepin County Library's Southdale location page still lists it with those hours. To route holds there, choose "Southdale/Yorktown (Hold Pickup only)" in your account settings, call 612-543-KNOW, or ask at any Hennepin County library. Check out your items at the self-checkout machine in the lobby before you leave.

Browsing at Edina Library. For shelves, staff and a place to sit, the closest full branch is Edina Library at 5280 Grandview Square. Its listed hours are noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Returns. When Southdale closed, the library named Edina, Penn Lake and Washburn as nearby return points, and Augsburg Park joined the list starting in spring 2025.

Art classes. The winter/spring activity directory covers the next season of city programs. Registration opened for Edina residents at noon on Wednesday, November 4. Non-residents can sign up starting at noon on Tuesday, November 10, through EdinaParks.com.

Public art. Hennepin County Library's survey on the building's commissioned public art ran from August 24 through September 18, 2026. It asked for community stories about the history, culture and people of the Southdale Library and Edina Art Center community to help shape the call for artists.

A First Market in the Old House

The old Art Center building still has a new event this year. On Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Edina Art Center holds its first Winter Fine Art Market at 4701 W. 64th St. Only local artists can sell. Everything has to be made by the seller, and AI-generated art, commercially manufactured goods and resale items are not allowed. Shoppers can expect ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography and sculpture.

"The Winter Fine Art Market is a celebration of the creativity that thrives in Edina. We are excited to welcome local artists into the Art Center space and give our community a chance to connect with the makers behind the work."

That is Recreation Supervisor Laura Fulton, quoted in the City of Edina's announcement. The building hosting the market has had its pottery areas closed since 2019. The steel frame meant to house its future kilns stands at York and 70th, and the county aims to enclose the library around it before winter.

If you're curious how projects like this tend to change daily routines on nearby blocks, Sara Moran is always glad to talk Edina, from the library site out to the Nine Mile Creek Trail. Let's talk about your next move.