18 March 2005

NEWLY RENOVATED FREMONT BRANCH REOPENS APRIL 16, 2005

The newly renovated Fremont Branch, 731 N. 35th St., will reopen with a festive music celebration beginning at noon Saturday, April 16.

The 6,840-square-foot building is the 14th project completed under the 1998 "Libraries for All" voter-approved building program.

The architect was Hoshide Williams Architects and Biwell Construction Inc. was the contractor. Dennis Evans designed artwork for the building. Evans, a Seattle-based artist, created two painted, mixed-media works for the branch that are part of a series of artwork for five of the Library’s Carnegie branches. All the pieces reflect classical liberal arts themes.

Program schedule
The dedication ceremony for the new branch will begin at noon with City Librarian Deborah L. Jacobs, John Franklin, Mayor Greg Nickels’ chief of departmental operations, Library Board Trustee Gordon McHenry Jr., City Council President Jan Drago, representatives from the Friends of The Seattle Public Library, the Library book fairy "Lulu" and "Members of Captain Leroy & The Zydeco Locals."

The band will play until 1:30 p.m. The high-energy group performs traditional and modern tunes – sung in both French and English.

The rest of the schedule is as follows:

Noon to 3 p.m. – Arts and crafts with hat making in the children's area; refreshments will be served.
Noon to 3 p.m. – Artist Evans will be available to discuss his work.
2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. – The Fremont Bell Ringers, led by Rodman Miller, will walk from Fremont’s landmark painted rocket on the corner of North 35th Street and Evanston Avenue North to the branch.

The celebration is made possible by premier sponsor Starbucks Coffee, signature sponsor Safeco Insurance and The Seattle Public Library Foundation.

About the building
The $749,267 renovation project added more seating and computers, improved ventilation, a more efficient interior layout, a wheelchair-accessible toilet room on the lower level, specially designed wood shelving to respect the building’s landmark status, an upgrade to the electrical service to support additional computer and staff work stations, and a new boiler. The project also included converting a 780-square-foot storage area into space for the public and staff.

The 6,840-square-foot branch, which opened in 1921, is a California Mission-style, Carnegie-funded branch designed by Daniel R. Huntington. It is listed on The National Register of Historic Places.

Libraries for All
In 1998, Seattle voters approved a $196.4 million bond measure to fund improvements to all 22 existing branches, build new branches in underserved areas and construct a new Central Library. To date, the Library has completed 13 branches and the new Central Library and many other branches are in the planning, design or construction phase. For more information about the building program or the Fremont Branch opening, visit www.spl.org or call 206-386-4636.

(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, assistant communications director, 206-615-1627.)

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Content modified: 22 March 2005

12/30/2005