The Seattle Public Library invites Queen Anne residents to a public reception to meet architect finalists being considered to design the renovation of the Queen Anne Branch.
The reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7 at the Queen Anne Branch, 400 W. Garfield St. The architects will display examples of their work and be available to answer questions. Attendees are encouraged to fill out comment forms. For more information, call Frank Coulter, Library project manager, (206) 615-1621.
Eleven firms applied to design the renovation, and a Library staff committee narrowed that to eight. An architect selection advisory panel will begin meeting later this month to evaluate the qualifications of the eight firms before selecting finalists to interview and introduce to the public.
The Seattle Public Library board of trustees is expected to hear comments from the advisory panel and select an architect for the Queen Anne Branch project at its meeting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave.
The Queen Anne Branch, which opened in 1914, was funded by wealthy philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board voted in December 2001 to designate the branch as a landmark building. The Library will work with the landmarks board to preserve the architectural character of the branch.
The $550,622 in interior improvements to the branch, which opened in 1914, will include new seating, improved ventilation, upgraded technology services and equipment, more electrical, communications and computer connections, more efficient interior layout and better acoustics.
The project , which is part of the “Libraries for All” (LFA) building program, is expected to be complete in 2007. In 1998, Seattle voters approved the $196.4 million LFA bond measure and The Seattle Public Library Foundation pledged to contribute privately raised money to improve the library system. 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 new Central Library and the Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Columbia, Delridge, Green Lake, High Point, NewHolly, North East, Rainier Beach, Wallingford and West Seattle branches. The new Greenwood Branch opens at noon Saturday, Jan. 29, and many other branches are currently in the planning, design or construction phase.
The Foundation is in the final phase of its “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 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: 20 January 2005
12/30/2005
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