Cope Construction Co. began work today on The Seattle Public Library’s new South Park Branch,a 5,000-square-foot facility that will provide library service to the underserved community.
Johnston Architects designed the branch at 8604 Eighth Ave. S. to have a strong civic presence and to create a space that will offer people a sense of pride and ownership. A vacant building on the site was demolished in December 2003.
The new branch, which is expected to open in the second half of 2006, will have a collection capacity of 18,700 books and materials, a special area for children, computers, instructional spaces, and parking.
The branch also will include artwork by Seattle artist Franklin Joyce, who will use theatrical lighting equipment to project images onto the exterior western wall of the new building. The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs manages the Library’s public art program.
The new $2,741,137 branch is being funded out of the Opportunity Fund, a special fund created as part of the "Libraries for All" (LFA) bond measure to be used for new or unanticipated neighborhood library capital needs for underserved areas of Seattle.
Voters approved the $196.4 million LFA bond measure 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 new Central Library and the Ballard, Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Columbia, Delridge, Fremont, Green Lake, Greenwood, High Point, International District/Chinatown Branch, NewHolly, North East, Rainier Beach, Wallingford and West Seattle branches. 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, communications assistant, 206-615-1627.)
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Content modified: 5 July 2005
09/08/2006
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