6811 E. 136th Avenue
A public library built around books, outdoor exploration and environmental education will officially open in Thornton next month.
Anythink Libraries will celebrate the grand opening of the Anythink Nature Library on Saturday, August 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 33,000-square-foot building sits on a 15-acre campus next to the 140-acre Aylor Open Lands and is being introduced as the nation’s first public nature library.
Rather than separating the library from its surroundings, the project was designed to move visitors between indoor and outdoor spaces. Its curved rooflines, large expanses of glass, landscaped gardens and central open-air courtyard create a building that feels closely connected to the surrounding prairie.
Inside, the library includes an art and science lab, a living plant wall, a light-filled sunroom and a dark sensory room featuring a star-like ceiling. Traditional library amenities such as books, computers, study rooms and gathering areas are joined by spaces intended for experimentation, play and hands-on learning.
The building opens toward gardens, outdoor learning areas, a storytelling circle, a water-flow play zone and a mud pit. A roughly one-mile trail circles the property and connects the campus with the larger Aylor trail system, allowing a visit to the library to extend directly into the surrounding open space.
The Nature Library will also offer one of Anythink’s largest collections of “TryIts,” which allow library customers to check out equipment and experiential learning kits. Approximately 550 items across 65 collections are expected to be available when the branch opens, including wildlife cameras, bird-watching kits, microscopes, hiking equipment, gardening tools and nature art supplies. The collection could eventually grow to more than 1,500 items.
A majority of the branch’s collection will focus on nature, although popular books and general-interest materials will still be available. Additional amenities include children’s play and early-literacy areas, indoor rock climbing, a teen room and the second location of LatinA Flavor Cafe, with seating extending onto an outdoor patio.
The project was designed by Davis Partnership Architects and THK Associates and constructed by GH Phipps. Construction began in the third quarter of 2024, with Anythink listing the project’s construction cost at approximately $43.4 million. The building is pursuing LEED Gold certification and incorporates a geothermal heating and cooling field, fully electric mechanical systems, LED lighting and more than 300 rooftop solar panels.
The library’s design and programming are based on the Environmental Kinship Model, which treats people as participants in the natural world rather than separate from it. Community members and Indigenous and Native American leaders serving on the project’s advisory council also helped shape the concept.
Grand-opening activities will include live performances, story times, art projects, wildlife encounters and opportunities to explore the indoor and outdoor campus. The celebration is free and open to the public.
With its combination of public architecture, open space and experiential learning, the Anythink Nature Library expands the idea of what a suburban library can provide. It is not simply a place to find information about the natural world. It is a place designed to experience it.