The Preston Royal Branch Library at 5626 Royal Lane is open, and its November and December calendars are full. A renovation is coming. People Newspapers reported in May that construction was "slated to begin in January 2027," with a goal of reopening in March or April 2028. January 2027 is still a forecast, though. No last day of operation has been announced, and no plan for library service during construction has been named. In May, library officials told the paper they were still exploring interim options.
The branch closes only after the Dallas City Council awards a construction contract, and that item hasn't reached a council agenda yet. Until it does, the branch's own program calendar is the most reliable schedule a Preston Hollow reader has.
The Published Schedules Keep Moving Later
The project's timeline has been published several times. Each reported forecast has pushed the dates back. The city's tracker is the exception, as explained below.
| Source and date | Construction start | Reopening |
|---|---|---|
| City presentation, reported by the Advocate, February 2025 | Contract award September 2026, work "within a couple of months" | October or November 2027 |
| LPA's account of the community meeting, November 2025 | Winter of 2027 | Spring of 2028 |
| People Newspapers, May 2026 | January 2027 | March or April 2028 |
| City 2024 Bond Dashboard, last modified October 3, 2026 | Estimated September 30, 2026, actual TBD | Estimated September 30, 2027 |
The February 2025 timeline in the Advocate set out each step. A request for architectural proposals would go out in March 2025, a design contract would be awarded in June 2025, design would start in August 2025 and take about 10 months, and a construction contract would follow in September 2026. The later schedules moved those dates back. The bottom row in the table is the odd one out.
The City's Tracker Shows Planned Dates, Not Actual Ones
The city's 2024 Bond Dashboard page for the project can look like construction is already underway. Its chart shows an "In Construction" bar running from September 30, 2026, to September 30, 2027. The fields under that chart tell a different story. The project status reads "Remaining To Be Awarded." The construction award was estimated for September 23, 2026, and the start for September 30, 2026, but both "actual" fields still read TBD as of the page's October 3 update.
The dashboard also lists the design contract as not yet awarded. The design contract was in fact awarded a year ago. On October 8, 2025, the City Council approved a professional services contract with LPA, Inc. for design, engineering, bid advertisement, construction administration and warranty support on the renovation and expansion. The contract is capped at $1,041,500 and paid for from the 2006 general obligation bond fund. The dashboard's dates are planning estimates. They don't show what has actually happened.
The Council Vote That Will Set the Date
That LPA contract included "bid advertisement," which is the step that brings in construction bids. Once a builder is chosen, the contract goes to the City Council. That vote is the sign that work is about to start. No Preston Royal construction contract appeared on the council's meeting records for August 12, September 9 or October 14, 2026, or on the draft agenda for October 28.
The project sits in Council District 13 and is managed by the city's Office of Bond and Construction Management. Robert van Buren is listed as project manager. He is also the city architect who presented the original timeline to neighbors in early 2025. If the January 2027 start holds, a construction contract would most likely come up at a council meeting between now and then. Until it does, January is a target date, not a firm one.
The Renovation Took Two Decades to Fund
A few months of slippage is small next to the project's history. The branch opened on March 21, 1964. According to the Advocate, it had been renovated only once, in the mid-1980s, before this project.
In 2006, voters approved a bond package that bought land at Forest Lane and Nuestra Drive for a new library to replace Preston Royal. The package didn't include money to build it, and the project stalled. The land sat unused until 2021, when the City Council approved a zoning change requested by Forest Park Development. The city sold the parcel and set the proceeds aside for renovating the existing branch. The 2024 bond package added more than $9 million.
The dashboard lists the project under 2024 Proposition D, Library Facilities. It shows a $9,039,000 bond sale amount and a current budget of $8,959,899, with $137,581 committed so far. So the plan is to renovate the building at Royal Lane, not replace it, and the money is in place. What's left is setting the construction schedule.
What the Money Buys
The scope covers a renovation of the existing 12,500-square-foot building plus a 2,000-square-foot expansion. In 2025, van Buren told neighbors the work would keep the building's "original mid century splendor" but wouldn't be a preservation project. He listed technology upgrades, more efficient mechanical systems, better lighting and accessibility improvements.
The layout came out of public input. Councilmember Gay Donnell Willis opened a design meeting at the branch on March 24, 2026, where about 40 residents saw plans shaped by online feedback and two earlier community meetings. As People Newspapers reported, the design has three named areas:
- Imagine, a children's space
- Discover, open seating
- The Connection, a walkway through the building that opens it to the public from both sides
Craig Drone, regional studio director at LPA's Dallas office, described the main goal of the design to the paper:
"Introducing changes that are very respectful to this building is one of the really big charges in this project."
LPA architect Sophia Razzaque told People Newspapers the team was "drawn by the idea of inviting the community in." The same report said the renovated branch will open with 33,028 new books.
The project also includes public art. The city's call to artists, reported by the Advocate, asked for a sculpture or floor mosaic designed for the site, with interactive features and an $84,000 budget. Applications closed March 2, 2026. The Preston Royal Library Friends are raising money for the art too. On their campaign page, the group says it has committed $16,000 toward a $41,000 goal.
What's on the Branch Calendar This Fall
Until a closing date is announced, the branch's event calendar is the best guide to what's happening there. These programs are scheduled at Preston Royal between now and early December:
- November 2: Preston Hollow Memory Cafe
- November 4: Roots & Recipes
- November 7: Family Storytime
- December 2: Toddler Storytime, Preschool Storytime and American Mah Jongg
The Dallas Public Library updates this calendar itself, so check it before you go. The Friends hold a monthly general membership meeting at the branch, most recently on September 24. Their annual book sale is held in spring. This year's ran May 7 to 9, so there's no fall sale.
Other Branches Nearby
The Dallas Public Library hasn't named substitute branches for the construction period. These branches are in the same part of the system, listed by their addresses:
- Park Forest Branch, 3421 Forest Lane
- Bachman Lake Branch, 9480 Webb Chapel Road
- Renner Frankford Branch, 6400 Frankford Road
- Fretz Park Branch, 6990 Belt Line Road
Plans for holds pickup, programs and the branch's collection during construction will come from the library once a closing date is set. A Preston Royal construction contract on a City Council agenda will be the first sign that the date is close.
Neighborhood institutions like this branch library are part of what we watch in Preston Hollow. If you'd like to talk about how projects on Royal Lane and Preston Road affect your home's value, The Rosen Group can help. Request a private consultation and home valuation, and we'll walk through the Preston Royal corridor with you.
