Plans are moving ahead for renovations to the Magnolia Library, and the public was asked to express its "hopes and dreams" about the project at a meeting last week where Seattle Public Library representatives far outnumbered neighborhood residents.
The results of a feasibility study were also presented for the project, for which $875,727 has been budgeted from the $196.4 million "Libraries for All" bond measure passed in 1998. The funds are earmarked for capital costs in and around the existing 5,904-square-foot building.
Designed by architect Paul Hayden Kirk and landscaped by Richard Haag, the building won national recognition for its design when it was completed in 1964. But the building is showing its age, noted Linda Larson, a Library Board steward.
Renovations are needed for upgrading the technology, adding more computers, fixing up the air-conditioning system and "improving those windows without [using] duct tape," Larson said of a few examples.
Responding to a Magnolia Community Club request in 2000, an additional $1.6 million from an Opportunity Fund has also been earmarked for building an 1,800-square-foot addition to the library, Larson added.
Vic Barry, president of the Magnolia Community Club, said an addition would provide much-needed space for a meeting room the neighborhood organization could use. "We will look forward to using that," he said.
"But we recognize this is a landmarked building," Larson said of a historic status that was granted in 2001 and requires approval of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board before any changes can be made.
Hence the need for an addition-feasibility study, which was done by Snyder Hartung Kane Strauss Architects. "What they found is the existing building does pretty well," she said.
But the library lacks room to hold meetings or a place for children to listen to stories being read to them, Larson added. "And the restrooms really aren't adequate for the public."
Paula Herman, the adult-services librarian at the branch, echoed Larson's comments in a later interview. She'd also like to see more space in the staff's work area, a more visible reference desk and more reading areas for the public. "But we're kind of limited by our space," Herman said.
So an addition could help, but it doesn't necessarily have to be an 1,800-square-foot one, Larson said. Indeed, the feasibility study for the project includes both an 1,800- and a 1,200-square-foot addition, which would be built on a portion of the parking lot on the west side of the building, said David Strauss from the architectural company.
He said he believes the larger addition could be built. "The real question is, is that much space actually necessary?" Strauss added. The larger the space, the more open space and parking will be lost, he noted.
The idea of adding parking beneath the library was discussed, according to Jonathan Hartung from the same architectural firm. But that wasn't feasible financially, and the idea was ruled out from the very beginning, he said.
A parking study is also planned to determine if on-street parking can replace the lost spots, and the architects will also pay heed to "Universal Building Program" guidelines for what libraries of similar size should contain, Larson said.
But there is also the issue of building an addition that would blend with the design of the old library, according to Strauss. The existing building provides "an enormous amount of light within a small framework," he said. Landscaping is also a major issue, said Strauss, who described the site as a garden with a building in it. "It holds the site well, but sometimes it's hard to see."
Putting in an addition would allow the bathrooms to be moved into it from the old building, but there is another consideration, he said. "It's important for this addition to frame open space."
Almost $23,000 in art-related funds has been budgeted for the project, though the money won't be used just for so-called plop art, said city librarian Linda Jacobs. "The architects will be expected to incorporate art into the design," she said.
Larson said the next step is for the architects to incorporate public comments into a schematic design that will be unveiled at another public meeting. The drawings will also be posted at the library.
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at rzabel@nwlink.com or 461-1309.[[In-content Ad]]
