Anythink Nature Library Unveils $45M Mud Pit Design

The new Adams County library in Thornton is betting your sanity on a mud pit.

It’s not a metaphor. It’s not a splash pad for summer. It is an actual, literal mud pit, part of a $45 million architectural gamble that turns the traditional library model inside out.

The Anythink Nature Library opens Aug. 8 on East 136th Street. It sits on 15 acres of open space secured from the city of Thornton. The concept? A "nature library" that prioritizes dirt, decay, and direct contact over silence and silence.

Maria Mayo-Peaseley, a branch manager for the district, saw the blueprint for this approach at a conference in Nebraska. She watched a presentation on the Environmental Kinship Guide. It’s a framework for early-childhood learning that emphasizes connecting with nature in four distinct ways: learning about, in, with, and for nature.

“My hair stood on end,” she said. “I was like, this is exactly what we’ve been looking for.”

Construction was already underway when she found the guide. The land was secured. The concept was cleared. Now, the building spirals inward toward a central garden. It is segmented by those four themes. Each section houses different collections. About one-third of the books are typical fare. Bestsellers. New releases. The rest is biology, weather, beetles, poetry, fiction, and a wall of Indigenous writings.

But the texts are almost beside the point.

The space is designed for hands-on workshops. You can learn about herbal tinctures and natural dyes. Massive windows offer views in every direction. Seats are made from boulders. There are four gardens. A dark room made of charred wood with twinkly star lights for story times. A huge living plant wall. Tiny brass flora and fauna embedded in the floors.

And yes, the mud pit.

Mark Fink, executive director of Anythink Libraries, stands between newly planted raised beds at the site. He’s overseeing the execution of a vision that asks locals to get closer to the elements. The design includes a mile-long trail that circles the property. The trail leads you to the mud pit.

Is space nature?

That’s the question the library is asking. Anythink has been doing things differently since about 2004, when it turned the Rangeview Library District into a special taxing district. This new site is the eighth location. It’s a commitment to something far beyond a typical library.

The short version: You don’t just read about nature here. You touch it. You sit on rocks. You breathe air that smells like wet earth. The mud pit isn’t an afterthought. It’s a feature.

Neighbors might wonder what they’re paying for. The $45 million price tag is steep for a building that encourages getting dirty. But the district isn’t selling books. It’s selling an experience. It’s selling a return to the physical world in an increasingly digital age.

The Kinship Guide breaks down the connections. Learning about nature. In nature. With nature. For nature. The building is segmented by these ideas. The “learning about” section has the science-y stuff. The “learning with” section has the poetry. The mud pit? That’s just part of the package.

Mayo-Peaseley brought the concept from lesson plans to the whole building. The result is a dizzying commitment to a single idea. The library wants you to get closer. Even if it means standing in mud.

The trail circles the property. The pit is there. The volumes are there. The rest is up to you.