The Magnolia branch of the Seattle Public Library will reopen to the public at a celebration this coming Saturday, July 12.
The reopening marks the end of more than a year's work on the $4.4 million remodeling and expansion project, and it also marks a milestone for the Seattle Public Library system. "This is the last one," Glen Osako said of the 27 projects funded under the 1998 $196.4 million Libraries for All bond measure.
Osako, a capital-improvement program manager for the Seattle Public Library, worked on the last three projects, he said. "They all had their own challenges."
That was especially true for the Magnolia branch because the 1964 building designed by Paul Hayden Kirk and the landscaping surrounding it were both given landmark status, said David Strauss from Synder Hartung Kane Strauss Architects, the firm that worked on the project.
"From a procedural viewpoint, it was a challenge," he said of restrictions on changes the Landmarks Preservation Board places on landmarked buildings. "The landmarks board was easy to work with," Strauss added.
Also helping was the relatively good condition of the building. "After 40 years of use, it's aged well," he said. There were exceptions, however. One of the 52-foot-long custom-made ceiling beams was rotten to the core, and it was a challenge to replace it without tearing off the roof, Strauss said.
Still, roofing was replaced on the building, the old windows were replaced by new energy-efficient ones, the wiring was upgraded, the ventilation was improved, and the number of computers for patron use shot up from 11 to 19.
The landscaping is being replaced to mirror the original design by landscape architect Richard Haag, according to a library fact sheet.
Furniture designed by George Nakashima was refinished, and based on one of Nakashima designs, a bench made by the Meyer Wells furniture company was also added.
With the addition of 6,000 new books, DVDs and CDs, the library will boast a collection of around 37,000 items, said library spokeswoman Caroline Ullmann.
The most significant part of the project was including a 1,443-square-foot meeting room and study area on the west side of the existing building, she said.
The grand reopening celebration will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on July 12, and the event will include appearances by Mayor Greg Nickels, former city librarian Deborah Jacobs, library board vice president Michael Parham and Seattle City Council member Nick Licata. Starbucks will provide coffee and snacks.
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