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EXPANDING THE DOUGLASS-TRUTH BRANCH
DESIGN UPDATE OPEN HOUSE
3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003
Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way

About 20 members of the public attended this open house to see the design for the expansion of the Douglass-Truth Branch. Frank Coulter, Library project manager, and Walter Schacht, Cima Malek-Aslani and Eric Aman from Schacht/Aslani Architects displayed updated designs and renderings and talked with the public about the 6,992-square-foot expansion project.

Also present at the open house were The Seattle Public Library board of trustees member Gordon McHenry Jr., board steward for the Douglass-Truth Branch, Valerie Garrett-Turner, Douglass-Truth Branch manager, Samuel Jackson, Douglass-Truth Branch librarian, Val Frye, Neighborhood Library Services LFA liaison, and Mary Henry, Emily Wheeler and Shirley Wilcox, members of the Citizen Implementation Review Panel (CIRP), a 15-member panel that provides citizen oversight of the Library's Libraries for All building program.

Public reaction to the design of the library addition was positive. Comments and questions included:

• Excited about the project; can’t wait for it to be completed.
• Pleased with availability of natural light in the addition.
• Addition feels open and spacious.
• Impressed by careful thought that has gone into the design.
• Concerned that the addition facing 24th Avenue is too stark; suggest breaking up the wall and making it less attractive for potential graffiti.
• Love all the sunlight the new addition will have.
• Was opposed to modern addition to historic structure, but “won over by the spaciousness and efficiency of new building.”
• Please make every effort to preserve integrity of historic branch building.
• Would like art inside building and outside on building grounds; should depict historic African-American and Jewish communities in area.
• New addition “looks fantastic.”
• Glad to see historic building being preserved and look forward to modern addition.
• Plan for new addition is “bold and interesting.”
• Will the African-American collection be available during construction?
  Response: The African-American Collection is one of our most valued and treasured collections. To protect its integrity, the collection will be carefully packaged and stored with the rest of the branch collection during construction. Keeping the collection together is the best way we have to preserve its integrity; it will be returned intact to the expanded branch when the branch reopens. During the closure, the public will have access to much of the same material because other branches in the system also have copies of many of the books in the African-American Collection. In addition, the library also could borrow materials from another system.
• How will the African-American collection be handled in the new building?
  Response: It will be interfiled with the general collection to increase accessibility. The materials will have an identifying tag announcing them as part of the African-American collection.
• How will library users access the lower-level addition space?
  Response: In addition to the grand staircase, a public elevator will provide access between the historic building and the lower-level addition space.
• How will parking be addressed in the project?
  Response: The Library will work with the city’s Department of Design, Construction and Land Use and the Landmarks Preservation Board to address the parking needs of the branch. Part of this process will involve analyzing the availability of off-site parking in the area.

Next steps: The Library will continue the design process with the architects and the Landmarks Preservation Board, and will report progress back to the community and the Library Board at the end of the design development phase.

Please send your comments about the Douglass-Truth Branch expansion project to Library staff or e-mail the capital program office at capital.program@spl.org. To contact capital projects manager Frank Coulter, call 615-1621 or e-mail frank.coulter@spl.org.

Content Modified: Content Modified: 31 March 2003

12/30/2005

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