Extreme Makeover: Springfield Edition

Park Central Branch Library / Coffee Ethic

Historic Downtown Springfield welcomed a decidedly modern addition to its landscape in 2008: Park Central Branch Library. What in the heck, you ask, is modern about a library? Well, Park Central's take on it, for starters. It's an eLibrary with a liberal spin on the "no talking, no beverages and no fun" block of expected rules, as it's connected to the super-hip Coffee Ethic (pictured). Contemporary quarters, loads of free internet access and all the caffeine you can wave a raw sugar packet at is a far cry from what was there before: the Juke Joint. While this may have decreased the curious sightings one might experience driving around Park Central Square on a Saturday night, it has also added a certain class to Downtown. Gourmet coffee and the pursuit of knowledge -- that beats a hippie on a unicycle any day.

Extreme Makeover quotient: 4 out of 5 Ty Penningtons