The book drop at 3701 Benham Avenue has been closed since January. The Green Hills Branch Library passed another birthday on October 28 with its doors shut. The current building opened on October 28, 2000. It replaced the branch that first served Green Hills in 1969. Nashville Public Library says this is the building's first full renovation in 25 years. Work started January 4, 2026, and the library expects to reopen in early 2027.
For most of this year, NPL has pointed Green Hills patrons to the Edgehill Branch Library, which it describes as "about three miles" away. That fallback is about to have a gap of its own.
Edgehill Closes Nov. 16 for HVAC Repair
NPL has posted a notice that the Edgehill branch at 1409 12th Avenue South will close beginning Nov. 16 for HVAC repair. The library expects to reopen it in early December. Edgehill's book drop will close too. NPL says items can go back to any other library location while Edgehill is closed, and that updates will come through its website and social channels.
Heating and cooling run through both projects. Edgehill is closing for an HVAC repair, and new heating, cooling and outside-air systems are on the scope list for the renovation on Benham Avenue. For part of November and into December, the library NPL has been recommending as the closest substitute won't be open either. If you want to stay in your Green Hills library routine, you'll need to plan around a farther branch for those weeks.
What the Green Hills Renovation Actually Replaces
NPL's public description focuses on the parts patrons will notice. More than 600 people took part in the public input phase. The library's closure notice says the renovation includes improvements the community asked for, "such as a new children's area, additional meeting spaces, and more."
Metro's contracting documents add the technical scope of the same renovation. The solicitation for a construction manager, posted on HigherGov, describes the library as 25 years old and needing "significant updates to its mechanical and plumbing systems." It also calls for technology and security improvements. The listed scope includes:
- New Dedicated Outside Air Systems and new heating and cooling systems
- Variable Air Volume zoned systems throughout the building
- New plumbing fixtures in newly designated restroom locations
- Upgraded communications and building automation systems
- Security cameras, motion sensors and access control systems
- Parking lot resurfacing and restriping, with directional arrows and signage based on a traffic study
Most of that list is in the ceilings, the walls and the parking lot. The new children's area is what people will see when the doors reopen. Much of the listed work involves systems that will be hidden behind finished surfaces. The solicitation names Barge Design Solutions as the architectural and engineering firm working with the construction manager.
The project has been in the works for a while. In December 2024, NPL Director Terri Luke told the library's trustees that Green Hills would be NPL's first major renovation in the prior capital spending plan. Metro's FY2025-26 capital overview lists "Green Hills Library Branch – Renovation" at $4,341,000. A separate figure appears in Metro's January 2026 purchasing report, which names Nabholz Construction Corporation as the awarded construction manager. That contract carries an estimated value of $3.45 million and an estimated start date of January 15, 2026. One figure is a capital budget line and the other is a contract estimate, so neither should be read as the project's final cost.
How "August 2026" Became "Early 2027"
The project's target dates have moved later at each step:
- Summer 2025. Metro's construction manager solicitation expected an award that summer and listed August 2026 as the project's anticipated completion date, which is a construction milestone rather than a reopening date.
- December 10, 2025. WKRN reported the upcoming closure with a reopening expected next winter.
- January 5, 2026. WSMV covered the closure as it happened and described the branch as shut "only for a little while," with a winter 2026 return.
- Now. NPL's notice and its Growing Together facilities page both say the renovation is underway, with reopening expected in early 2027.
The library trustees' September 15 and October 20 meeting agendas didn't include a Green Hills item. For now, the date to plan around is NPL's "early 2027" for the 25,000-square-foot branch.
Where Green Hills Can Borrow While Edgehill Is Closed
NPL's closure notice says service continues online and at its other locations. From Nov. 16 until Edgehill reopens, these are the open branches closest to the Green Hills area:
| Branch | Address | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Edgehill | 1409 12th Ave S | Closed beginning Nov. 16, reopening expected in early December. Regular hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Main Library | 615 Church St | Downtown, with NPL's largest building |
| Richland Park | 4711 Charlotte Ave | Open now. NPL is designing a new building for this branch after more than 700 people took part in the March 2026 input. |
| Edmondson Pike | 5501 Edmondson Pike | An option to the southeast |
| Bellevue | 720 Baugh Rd | An option farther west |
NPL's collection of more than 2 million books and materials is shared across every branch, so a hold can come from anywhere in the system and be picked up at any open location.
Before the 16th
Check where your holds are waiting. Green Hills stopped appearing as a pickup choice last December. WSMV laid out the steps NPL gave for changing a pickup location. Go to My Account, then Titles On Hold, then Physical Materials, and change the location under pending holds. If you switched everything to Edgehill in January, the same steps will move your holds to an open branch for late November.
Return items before Edgehill's drop closes. Neither the Green Hills outdoor return nor the Edgehill book drop will be available after Nov. 16, so any other NPL location is the place to bring returns.
Fit in a program or two. Edgehill's calendar lists Baby Story Time, for ages 0 to 12 months, on Thursday, November 5, at 10:30 a.m. Panel & Pages, the teen comic and anime club, meets Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m., and its listing describes it as a weekly club. The calendar still shows a Family Story Time at Edgehill on November 21, which falls after the closure begins, so confirm with NPL's event calendar before you plan around it.
Patrons can reach staff through NPL's contact form or at any open location. Watch for Edgehill's reopening date on NPL's site in early December.
Here at Brock Daniel Mixon, we enjoy keeping track of the everyday places that make Green Hills feel like home, the library on Benham Avenue among them. If you have a question about what's changing around the neighborhood or what's opening next, I'd be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
