An architect selection advisory panel has recommended that Barnett Schorr Architects, Bumgardner and Hoshide Williams Architects remain in consideration for the job of designing the renovations to the historically significant Fremont Branch of The Seattle Public Library.
Panel members evaluated the qualifications of seven firms before selecting the Seattle-based finalists to interview and introduce to the public. A total of 12 firms applied for the job.
A public reception for the architect finalists is set for 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 17 at the Fremont Branch, 731 N. 35th St. The architects will display examples of their work and be available to answer questions. For more information, contact Justine Kim, Library project manager, at (206) 615-1329 or justine.kim@spl.org.
The architect selection advisory panel will interview teams from the three firms. The Seattle Public Library board of trustees is expected to hear comments from the advisory panel and select an architect for the Fremont Branch project at its meeting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24 at the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library, 2021 Ninth Ave.
Each firm has substantial experience with historic buildings.
Founded in 1970, Barnett Schorr Architects' library projects include pre-design services for the Pritchard Library on the State Capitol Campus in Olympia and design of a 1,260-square-foot library in a private residence in Colorado. Other projects include the rehabilitation of the State Capitol in Olympia, the University of Washington Administration Building, the Old Tacoma City Hall, and addition and renovation work at the Boy Scouts Regional Headquarters and the Uptown Theatre, both in Seattle.
Bumgardner's historic renovations include the St. James Cathedral, The Rainier Club, The Seattle Golf Club Clubhouse, the Holy Rosary Church and School, The St. Anne Parish, Church and School and the Claremont Hotel, all in Seattle. Bumgardner was founded in 1953.
Hoshide Williams Architects, which was founded in 1984, was a consultant on the 1993 facilities master plan for The Seattle Public Library. It also designed the renovations of the historic St. Joseph's School Library, the CRC/Odegaard Undergraduate Library and the Health Sciences Library for the University of Washington, and the Fremont Bridge Tower.
Community representatives serving on the advisory panel include Wallingford residents Camille and Chandru Narayan, who are rowers at the Fremont boathouse of the Lake Washington Rowing Club, and James Callan, a copywriter for Zones Inc. who has been a patron of the Fremont Branch for about nine years. Camille Narayan also is a fiber artist and weaver.
The $566,094 renovation will include converting a 780-square-foot storage area into space for the public and staff. The project also will feature an updated collection of 27,000 books and materials, more seating and computer work stations, ventilation, and more efficient lobby, circulation desk and work areas. The project is expected to be completed in 2004.
The current 6,060-square-foot library, which opened in 1921, is listed on The National Register of Historic Places. Seattle's Landmarks Preservation Board voted in December 2001 to designate the library as a landmark building.
Voters approved the renovations as part of the $196.4 million "Libraries for All" bond measure passed in 1998. The plan calls for improving or replacing all 22 branch libraries, building five new branches and building a new central library. The newest branch, the 5,600-square-foot Delridge Branch, opened June 29.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation is in the midst of a "Campaign for Seattle's Public Libraries" with the goal of raising $77.5 million from private sources to enhance the public bond commitment. Every dollar raised will ensure the library system reflects our community's needs in buildings, books, technology and people, long into the future.
For more information about "Libraries for All" or the Foundation, visit the Library's Web site at www.spl.org.
(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, Library communications assistant, 206-615-1627)
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Content modified: 05 September 2002
12/30/2005
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