The Montlake Branch of The Seattle Public Library moved into the construction phase yesterday with the Library’s call for a general contractor to build a larger new branch to better serve the community.
Contractors are invited to submit bids by 2 p.m. Thursday, April 14. For more information, contact: Matt Aalfs, Weinstein A|U Architects + Urban Designers, 121 Stewart St., Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 443-8606.
A pre-bid meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, April 4 at the project site, 2234 E. McGraw St. The architects will be present to review the project requirements.
It is the second time the project has gone out to bid. A bid opening on Nov. 4, 2004, drew submittals from five general contractors that were over the construction budget. Since then, the design team reduced the scope of the project by identifying revisions that didn’t affect programming or the size of the building.
The estimated construction cost for the project is $2.1 million.The overall project budget is $4,257,310.
Weinstein A|U Architects + Urban Designers designed the brick-clad building to break up the three different program elements – the meeting room, the entry stairway and the reading room – into a composition of forms that relate to adjacent commercial structures while emphasizing the verticality of the entry glass volume. A plaza will provide outdoor gathering spaces for patrons. Three existing structures on the site will be demolished. The branch is expected to open in the second half of 2006.
The 5,652-square-foot branch will have an updated and expanded collection capacity of 18,700 books and materials, more seats, a meeting room, upgraded technology, and parking for 13 vehicles, which includes a structured parking garage with seven spaces. The new branch will replace the existing 1,574-square-foot library, which is located in a converted retail store at 2300 24th Ave. E.
The branch also will include artwork by Seattle artist Rebecca Cummins, who is creating a stained glass sundial/skylight for the new building. The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs manages the Library’s public art program.
The new branch is part of the $196.4 million “Libraries for All” bond measure that Seattle voters passed in 1998. The bond money, which can be used only for construction of libraries, is funding new and improved branches, in addition to the new Central Library.
To date, the Library has completed the Central Library and the Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Columbia, Delridge, Green Lake, Greenwood, High Point, NewHolly, North East, Rainier Beach, Wallingford and West Seattle branches. The Fremont Branch opens at noon Saturday, April 16. Many other branches are in the planning, design or construction phase.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation continues to raise funds from private sources to enhance the public bond commitment and keep pace with the demands of patrons for a high level of library service. Every dollar raised will ensure a level of excellence in the Library’s facilities, collections, and programs that would not be possible through its tax-based support alone.
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, assistant communications director, 206-615-1627.)
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Content modified: 17 March 2005
08/11/2006
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