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Vienna’s Patrick Henry Library is being demolished after more than five decades on Maple Avenue, clearing the site for a larger replacement and a four-level parking garage.

Crews began tearing down the one-story building at 101 Maple Street East in late December 2025, slightly ahead of the latest project schedule. By Jan. 2, only the rear portion remained standing with its interior exposed, while the rest had been reduced to rubble.

Construction fencing now surrounds the property, and the Maple Avenue sidewalk in front of the site is closed.

After demolition, workers will establish the site layout and install utilities and stormwater infrastructure. Sharon North, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, said construction of the new building’s structure is expected to begin in late fall 2026.

Patrick Henry Library opened at the site in September 1971. The branch had previously operated from a storefront in the Giant-anchored Maple Avenue Shopping Center.

Its longtime Maple Street location was once occupied by a library that had served white patrons beginning in 1913. That earlier building, dating to 1897 and now called the Little Library, was moved to the Vienna Town Green in 1969. Historic Vienna Inc. maintains it as a museum.

Patrick Henry became one of the most popular community branches in the Fairfax County library system, but officials had sought an overhaul for years. County staff concluded that the aging building needed infrastructure improvements and that its layout could no longer accommodate the services expected from a modern library.

Voters approved $23 million in bond funding for a replacement in 2020. The total cost later rose as labor and material prices increased. The Town of Vienna will contribute up to $5.64 million under an agreement that adds general public parking to the library garage.

The replacement will be called the Vienna-Carter Library in honor of William and Lillian Carter, who advocated for Patrick Henry to be integrated when it opened in the 1970s.

At 19,000 square feet, the new library will offer more room and updated amenities, including an expanded children’s area, a flexible community space, and an outdoor area for reading and gatherings.

Its four-level garage will contain 209 parking spaces, including 84 available for public use. Rooftop solar panels and a geothermal heating and cooling system are planned to support Fairfax County’s goal of making the project net-zero for carbon emissions.

Patrick Henry Library closed May 9, 2025, in preparation for demolition. A temporary branch opened in July at the Cedar Park Shopping Center, 292C Cedar Lane SE, offering limited services such as checkouts, hold pickups and free Wi-Fi.

Maryland-based Costello Construction is building the Vienna-Carter Library, which is scheduled to open in early 2028.