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Greenwood Library Plans Available
Feb 28, 2002 -- Design drawings were unveiled February 20 for the new Greenwood Library at a well-attended meeting. The new 15,000 square foot library will replace the current 8,000 square foot structure at the branch location on 81st Street and Greenwood Avenue N.The meeting was attended by about 75 library users, who were invited to comment on the plans and submit written input for the design team. Chris Carlson of Buffalo Design and Peg Staeheli of SvR Design Co. went over the drawings in detail, pointing out new and improved amenities and architectural features. The designers tried to meet community expectations by keeping the small plaza on the corner of 81st and Greenwood, making it easy to see into and out of the building and using landscaping to create a visual buffer on the east side of the building. Rae Charlton, the Greenwood Library Branch manager, commended the designers for meeting often with the library staffers and responding to their needs in planning the building. The new building will have room for more than 66,000 books, upgraded computer works stations, a group study space, a meeting room on the main floor and parking underneath with improved access. Skylights will let natural light into the main areas of the library. Overall, meeting attendees were pleased with the new plans.
Greenwood resident Kate Martin was not pleased. "Why spend time on talking about a design that the [Department of Design, Construction and Land Use's] Design Commission has trashed?" she asked during the comment period. According to Martin, the Design Commission raised questions about the size of the site being large enough for the planned building, the monolithic facade on Greenwood. Library capital program director Alexandra Harris responded by saying that the Design Commission's advice is valuable, and emphasized that the Library always comes up with a final design that the Commission approves of. She also stressed that the Design Commission is an advisory body, and that advice from the community is just as important.
For a look at the drawings, go to the Seattle Public Library web site at www.spl.org and select the Greenwood branch library. Comments can be e-mailed to capital.program@spl.org.
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