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, Nov. 4. For more information, contact: Richard Yancey, 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. Thursday, Oct. 21 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Howard S. Wright Family & Janet W. Ketcham Meeting Room (Room 2).
Library staff members and the architects will be present to review the project requirements.
The new, brick-clad branch will be built at 2234 E. McGraw St. The three existing structures on the site will be demolished.
Weinstein A|U Architects + Urban Designers designed the 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. An image of the design may be seen at: http://www.spl.org/lfa/neighborhoodlibs/montlake/montlakedesigns.html.
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 estimated construction cost for the project is $1.7 million. The overall project budget is $4,257,310, which includes the following Library Board-approved budget additions:
$845,000 for additional land costs in October 2003; and $730,368 to fund structured parking, sitework, utility relocation and associated costs in April 2004.
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.
Assuming the bids are within budget, construction work is expected to begin later this year after the Library hires a general contractor. The branch is expected to open in late 2005.
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 a new central library and new and improved branches.
To date, the Library has completed the Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Columbia, Delridge, Green Lake, High Point, NewHolly, North East, Rainier Beach, Wallingford and West Seattle branches. The new Central Library opened May 23.
The Ballard, Fremont, Greenwood and Lake City branches are currently under construction and many other branches are in various stages of planning and design.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation is in the final phase of a “Campaign for Seattle’s Public Libraries” with the goal of raising $82 million from private sources to enhance the public bond commitment. 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, call Caroline Young Ullmann, communications assistant, 206-615-1627.)
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Content modified: 12 October 2004
08/11/2006
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