Tim Cook inaugurates Apple Carnegie Library with help from DC's mayor
Apple drew special attention to the launch of its Carnegie Library store in D.C. on Saturday, bringing not just CEO Tim Cook but retail head Deirdre O'Brien, marketing chief Phil Schiller, and the city's mayor, Muriel Bowser.
The event was publicized on Twitter by Cook and Bowser, the latter of whom shared a video of some of the first shoppers entering the store. The pair were joined by a media pool and some of the store's staff, who cheered and clapped to drum up excitement. Sizable crowds were in attendance.
Further photos were published on Instagram by O'Brien.
Apple retail VP Deirdre O'Brien posing with shoppers.
The event was publicized on Twitter by Cook and Bowser, the latter of whom shared a video of some of the first shoppers entering the store. The pair were joined by a media pool and some of the store's staff, who cheered and clapped to drum up excitement. Sizable crowds were in attendance.
Welcome to Apple Carnegie Library. #DCProud to open the store with @tim_cook and to greet residents who will now work and shop here. pic.twitter.com/kMzr4EL8i3
-- Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser)
Further photos were published on Instagram by O'Brien.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Deirdre O'Brien (@deirdre.at.apple) on May 11, 2019 at 10:15am PDT
Development on Apple Carnegie Library began in 2016. Apple calls it its "most extensive historic restoration project to date," requiring lengthy work on facades and details. Running with the theme of the building -- and possibly trying to counter controversy over the relocation of the Library's book collection -- the store will be hosting a "StoryMakers Festival" series of events between May 18 and June 29, featuring 40 artists.Apple retail VP Deirdre O'Brien posing with shoppers.
Comments
https://www.citylab.com/design/2019/05/apple-store-washington-dc-carnegie-library-history-mt-vernon/589135/
"By leasing the Carnegie Library building to Apple, the city has turned over a prominent cultural asset to an exclusive use: a tech enclave whose products are out of reach for many residents.”
And if the City had come up with the money to restore the building, what kind of public use could the building of had? Does D.C. really need any more museums? Even if it had become a museum, most museums are quite expensive today, so I'm not sure how many of the city's residents would have made use (and even if they had, how often do people visit the same museum - once a year, maybe?) I'm a big fan of public libraries, but the library had moved out years ago. It probably doesn't have the appropriate configuration to have become a school.
On a side note, while Apple products are expensive, when I'm on the NYC subways, I see lots of people who get on or off the trains in working class and low-income neighborhoods carrying iPhones. I would assume they buy them on the monthly payment plan and they find a way to do it. With the new NYC minimum wage of $15 an hour, three hours a month can just about pay for a phone. Or maybe they're buying used or refurbished phones.
And yes, it would be nice if today's industrialists got together and left a legacy like Andrew Carnegie did. But we have to deal with today's realities and at least in the case of Bill Gates' charities, the kind of work he's doing to end diseases might be far more valuable and important than restoring an old building.
The negative is only the haters, this almost reads like modern journalism...
While there are private museums that cost money, such as the Spy Museum, the city is also packed with the Smithsonian museums that are excellent and free. Your point stands, don't know if more are needed. In any event, that building wasn't going to turn into a compelling museum and its not in a good location for one. I've been in the neighborhood many, many times and the building never served any apparent purpose. People against Apple using the building should face that fact. The city was never going to renovate it.
That's exactly what Apple did.