Kansas City, Missouri: Entire City Block of Giant Books

We took photos from across the street. Most spines are covered by trees.

Having stopped here in early summer I was kind of disappointed to see almost nothing -- whoever did the landscape design should have considered some low shrubs rather than dense trees that obscure about 70% of the spines. It is a really cool building and nicely conceived, I just wish I could actually have appreciated a little more of it.

Go in winter if you want to see anything!

The side of the Kansas City Missouri library parking garage are library books down the entire side of the building.

Since 2005, library patrons and others have been able to park in a more literary manner in Kansas City. That's because the library constructed a 485-space parking facility that is the World's Biggest Bookshelf, holding 22 books that are 25-feet high held in place by two glass elevator bookends.

The unique project adds a whimsical break from the usual cityscape that takes up the entire block. The titles that were chosen to grace the faade were submitted by Kansas City citizens and then reviewed and approved by the library Board of Trustees. Adjacent to the entry stairs are precast concrete books stacked along the edges.