The corner of the John P. Holt Brentwood Library that used to belong to teenagers is now the quietest room in the building. It has glass walls, new flooring, an electric fireplace and soft new furniture, and it's meant for reading, studying and quiet thinking. The old Quiet Room has been set aside for the teens. Plans call for arched windows, darker wood and a fireplace of its own, so it will feel like a college library.
So the two rooms are switching places. The money for both steps comes from a single source, and it's the same source behind a run of upgrades at 8109 Concord Road since 2017.
How the swap works
The City of Brentwood's two announcements, one from July and one from September 2026, show the order.
| Space | What it used to be | What it is or will be | Cost | Status as of October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet Room | Teen area | Quiet room for reading and study, plus one more cardholder study room | $80,000 project | Open to the public |
| Teen Space | Old Quiet Room | Teen room with a college-library feel and its own entrance and vestibule | $60,000 design contract | Design phase, with construction expected to start in early 2027 |
The Quiet Room went first. The library director put together a Quiet Reading Room Task Force in November, with support from the Library Board and the Brentwood City Commission. The City's own Facilities Maintenance Coordinator ran the construction, which moved things along faster and meant Brentwood didn't have to hire a general contractor. The City's July 28 announcement said the room had opened earlier in the year. The work also added one more study room for library cardholders.
The teen room is next. On Aug. 24 the City Commission approved a $60,000 contract with the Nashville design firm Daniels Chandler to start the formal design phase. For now, the old Quiet Room is still waiting for that work to begin.
The gift that only pays for extras
Both rooms are paid for by the Holt Trust. In 2017 the Brentwood City Commission accepted a $4.2 million bequest from the estate of O'Delle K. Holt, given in honor of her late husband, John P. Holt, whose name is on the building. Under the terms of her gift, the money can only go toward improving the library's facilities, grounds and services above and beyond normal operating and capital budgets.
The City's announcements list what the Holt Trust has already covered:
- Upgrades to the library's wireless network
- Improvements to the Meeting Room/Learning Lab
- New furniture for the Children's Library
- A renovation of the Friends Gathering Room
- Improvements to staff work areas
- The new Quiet Room
The Library Board, the City Commission and library staff have worked through that list together, one project at a time. The whole teen project, design phase included, comes out of the same trust. If you've used the Learning Lab, sat in the Children's Library or met in the Friends Gathering Room, you've already enjoyed the Holt gift.
What the teens asked for
The new teen room started with feedback the library staff and Library Board had heard for years: local teens wanted an updated space of their own. The library surveyed Brentwood teens who use the building and asked its Teen Advisory Board what the space should do and how it should look and feel. Several firms then pitched designs based on those goals, and Daniels Chandler was chosen, according to the Williamson Herald.
The design reflects what the teens asked for. Meredith Bardill, an architect with Daniels Chandler, explained the thinking in the City of Brentwood's announcement:
"It'll give it that sort of collegiate library feel, which is the next step for these teens. They're going to be going off to college, studying in spaces like these."
In the same announcement, Library Board chair Cheryl Waltko said the board spent "a lot of time in our space planning meetings, as well as in our regular board meetings, going through this." The Library Board meets again on Wednesday, Nov. 18, and Wednesday, Dec. 16, both at 4:30 p.m., according to the library's calendar.
Using the rooms while the swap is underway
The City describes the Quiet Room as open to the public for reading, study and reflection. The study rooms, including the new one added during the renovation, work differently. Here's what the library's room reservation page says:
- Study rooms hold six to eight people.
- You need a valid Brentwood library card. If you've reserved a room, check in at the Reference Desk to get in.
- You can book online up to 30 days ahead, with a limit of eight hours per week per card.
- Snacks and drinks are allowed, and the room should be left clean.
- Private gatherings such as birthdays or showers aren't allowed.
Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. A weeknight study session in the Quiet Room can run until 8 p.m., but on Fridays and weekends the building closes at 6 p.m.
On the calendar through December
The rooms the Holt Trust has already paid for host a busy fall. These dates come from the library's online calendar and the Friends of the Brentwood Library events page, counting from this week:
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 3 p.m. Friends' Booktacular.
- Sunday, Oct. 25, 3 p.m. Halloween Bash.
- Thursday, Oct. 29. Readers Roundtable: Horror at 4:30 p.m., then Alchemy 101: Elixirs at 5:30 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 9, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Genealogy: How to Break Down Brick Walls, in Meeting Room B.
- Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6 to 7 p.m. Medicare Made Simple, in the Fall Conference Room.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 to 7 p.m. Social Security Workshop, in the Fall Conference Room.
- Saturday, Nov. 14. The Friends of the Brentwood Library holiday book sale. The Friends' page doesn't list a time yet.
- Friday, Nov. 20. A Friends fundraiser at Barnes & Noble. Show the group's flier at the register and a percentage of your purchase goes to the Friends.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. Genealogy: Retaining Family Memories and Memorabilia, in Meeting Room B.
Plan around the holiday closures. The library closes early at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and is closed all day on Thanksgiving and the Friday after, Nov. 26 and 27. It's also closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and closes at 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve.
The tree lighting, and the tickets that go first
The City Commission's Christmas Tree Lighting is on Monday, Dec. 7, at the library. A reading of The Polar Express starts at 4:45 p.m., the Friends of the Brentwood Library serve hot chocolate, a choir leads the singing, and the countdown to light the new library tree comes at 5:30 p.m.
The Polar Express reading needs a ticket. Tickets are limited and will be handed out starting in early November at the Children's Service Desk. If you're coming in for the Nov. 9 genealogy talk or one of the other November programs, you can stop by the Children's Service Desk and ask about tickets on the same visit.
If the changes on Concord Road have you thinking about how your home fits the way your household reads, studies or gathers, I'd be glad to talk it through. Let's Connect with Rita Ash.
