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History:
In May 1980, a new Central Library was opened to the public under the leadership of Ella Gaines Yates, first African-American director of the library system. Marcel Breuer, a participant in the innovative Bauhaus Movement, planned and designed the building, working closely with his associate Hamilton Smith. The Central Library was dedicated on May 25, 1980. Breuer was unable to attend the dedication ceremonies and died a year later on July 1, 1981 at the age of 81. In 2002, a major renovation of the Central Library was completed and the library system celebrated the centennial of the year in which public library service in Atlanta began. See also One Hundred Years of Library Service: A History.

On August 24, 2018, the Atlanta Fulton Central Library was unanimously nominated to the National Register of Historic Places and listed on the Georgia Register of Historic Places by the Georgia National Register Review Board. It will now be sent to the National Park Service for listing on the National Register. Fulton County spoke in opposition to the nomination.