During the early planning stages and throughout the construction period, the new Central Branch of the Public Library of Des Moines has been the subject of many regrettable barbs that hopefully will be cast aside with Saturday’s opening of the new $32.2 million, 110,000-square-foot facility at 1000 Grand Ave.

Perhaps critics of the contemporary design were so accustomed to the stately lines of the old National Register of Historic Places-listed Central Branch, built in 1903 of salmon pink Kettle River limestone and capped with a leaded glass dome, that architect David Chipperfield’s minimalist design looked foreign and out of place. Or perhaps the sedum-covered green roof seemed too far out for tradition-loving Midwesterners. Or maybe some of the criticism may even have been unwittingly precipitated by Chipperfield himself and could have been avoided had he not described the design as “amoeba-like,” a word that isn’t normally applied to classic architectural structures.

Criticism and jokes aside, the new library certainly does disrupt expectations – which is exactly what a facility dedicated to learning should do. The design sends a strong statement about the visionary quality of leadership in Des Moines. It says we aren’t afraid to take chances and that we’re more open to new ideas and concepts than we are interested in maintaining the status quo. Completed as part of plan that developed public-private partnerships and raised millions of dollars for a new science museum, arena, higher education center and other public venues, it speaks volumes about the community spirit of the people and corporations living and doing business in the Capital City.

Whatever else Chipperfield’s minimalist design may be, it is distinctively Des Moines. Iconic architectural structures are important as city leaders work to reinvent the capital city as more cosmopolitan, urban and attractive to young people. The new library certainly fills that bill. Visitors won’t confuse it with libraries in Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis or other Midwest cities, and it helps install Des Moines as a place with style and panache.

It’s another nice jewel in our crown.