City Council President Sabrina Madison was bursting with excitement.
After more than a decade, the Imagination Center Library at Reindahl Park, 1814 Parkside Drive, has opened its doors, bringing the 10th branch of the Madison Public Library to the northeast side. It’s the first new library branch in the city in more than 25 years.
Madison is the alder for District 17 where the library is located, and long advocated and fought for its funding.
The endeavor was personal for her.
“Yall! I’m so damn happy!” she posted on social media recently. She recalled her own experience with libraries as a kid: “The Milwaukee Public Library really shaped my relationship to libraries by being a safe space. The Center St, Central, and Atkinson branches are where I always found a book, a tutor, welcoming and kind librarians, and all kinds of free programming.
“Never did it ever cross my mind that someday I’d play an integral role in opening a new library,” she wrote.
“I hope more cities will build libraries in a park. It’s really a beautiful concept and a perfect way to bring no cost activities together, especially for families.”
The Imagination Center’s theme is, appropriately, “A Walk in the Park.” Floor-to-ceiling windows look out on a grove of trees. Carpeting in multiple shades of green throughout the building mirror the grasses and foliage of Reindahl Park. There are several meeting rooms and a spacious kids’ area, all with abundant natural light.
Larger community spaces, rows of bookshelves and computer stations are available to visitors and there are cozy nooks and seating areas perfect for delving into a new read. The facility includes a parks pavilion and outdoor patio.
The location is in a neighborhood that was without a library close by. To use a little library-speak, it was overdue for such a place.
The new building is a partnership between City Engineering, the Madison Public Library, the Parks Department and the Madison Public Library Foundation and cost approximately $18 million, supported by public and private dollars. Funding came from the city’s capital budget, a $4.25 million flexible facilities grant from the Wisconsin Department of Administration and $4.5 million from the Madison Public Library Foundation.
In this month’s issue, City Council President Madison is one of the influential people honored on the 2026 Power 100 list. It’s worth noting that she used her power to, among other things, bring the power of libraries to her community.
And who knows? At the new Imagination Center Library, the next generation’s City Council president may be hunkered down with a good book.
