Building Projects - Altadena Libraries

Library Building Projects

The Next Chapter for Altadena Libraries

Thanks to the incredible support of local residents, organizations, and businesses through the passage of Measure Z, the Altadena Library District is embarking on an ambitious multi-year project to repair, modernize, and improve the Main and the Bob Lucas Memorial Library beginning in spring 2022.

The District is actively pursuing grant opportunities that would substantially impact design possibilities for the Main Library, and we expect to hear a decision in late spring/early summer. With that in mind, we ask for your patience as we postpone the Main Library Town Hall until we have a firm decision on our grant applications. Thank you so much for your participation in this process, and we look forward to bringing you designs for the Main Library in the coming weeks!

If you missed the Altadena Libraries Town Hall for the Bob Lucas Library Schematic Design & Community Feedback, you can review the slides or view a recording of the meeting here.

Key Project Staff

NIKKI WINSLOW
District Director

Consultants

RACHLIN PARTNERS
Capital Projects Management

ANDERSON BRULÉ ARCHITECTS (ABA)
Architectural Firm

Board of Trustees

COMMUNITY FACILITIES DISTRICT (CFD) STANDING COMMITTEE
Oversees development of the bond issuance team and debt structure, as well as management of the bond proceeds

AD-HOC FACILITIES COMMITTEE
Oversees strategic decision-making for building projects

AD-HOC FACILITIES COMMITTEE COMMUNITY FOCUS GROUP
Small group of community representatives helps District consistently incorporate feedback and input into the decision-making process and assists in identifying when broader-scale, more widespread community engagement is helpful

Our Goals for the Libraries

We are committed to providing all residents of Altadena with full access to library facilities, including cutting-edge technology, wide-ranging physical and digital collections, welcoming public spaces, and inclusive and innovative programs, services, and events.

We are making a generational investment in upgrading the visual appeal, safety, and usability of both the Main and Bob Lucas Memorial libraries.
We are working to provide ALL residents of Altadena with full access to everything our libraries have to offer.
We are re-imagining our libraries for the next generation and asking you to join us!

Bob Lucas Memorial Library Priorities

Expand the library with an indoor-outdoor reading court and suite of rooms for literacy programs
Reconfigure the interior and exterior areas to maximize space
Uplift and invest in the visual appeal of the building to make this library the landmark it should be

Main Library Priorities

Make the library easy to use and fully accessible for everyone
Make essential structural, seismic, and safety repairs while maintaining the unique and historic mid-century architecture
Make the most of indoor and outdoor areas, developing fun, flexible & future-proof spaces

History of Altadena Libraries

2020s

November 2020 – Measure Z is approved with a vote of 72.35%.

September 2020 – The Altadena Libraries are awarded a grant of over $345,800 from the California State Library for electrical infrastructure upgrades, including upgrading backbone to 10 GB, WiFi 6, all internal wiring to 10 GB, two redundant host servers, UPS, Firewall, and other network appliances.

Spring 2020 – Town Hall Meetings are held to gather community input on facilities needs and priorities at both the Main Library and Bob Lucas Branch. An in-depth Main Library Master Plan and Bob Lucas Memorial Library Master Plan are compiled to prioritize necessary building projects and provided expected cost of facilities updates to bring both buildings into ADA compliance and to address potential safety hazards at both buildings.

1990s - 2010s

Winter 2019 – The Altadena Libraries undergo a Strategic Planning process, incorporating feedback from a committee of community volunteers, staff, and members of the Board of Trustees to establish a new mission, values, and priorities for the District.

Spring 2018 – After professional inspection, a comprehensive Facility Condition Assessment is completed, identifying key ADA and deferred maintenance updates needed across the Main Library.

January – March 2017 – Two dozen Community Conversations with over 200 community members and a Town Hall Meeting with 150 community members in attendance are held across Altadena to gather community input about aspirations for our community, reduce duplications of effort between community groups, and apply feedback to Altadena Library District facilities, services, and resources.

Spring 2016 – Deterioration and distress of the pedestrian bridges at the Main Library are documented, with proposed repairs to maintain an accessible route into the library while also taking into account the original aesthetic and design integrity.

Fall 2014 – The Altadena Library District (ALD) Special Parcel Tax, Measure A passes with 85% of community support to authorize ALD to levy for 10 years a special parcel tax to replace library funding for library services lost due to the elimination of State funding.

Fall 2012 – A Geotechnical Engineering Exploration is performed around the Main Library to evaluate the engineering properties of the earth materials underlying the site with respect to construction of additions and renovation to the Main Library.

2006 – The library has a total of 24 computers and 2 phone lines dedicated to dial-up access. A year later, we have a T-1 line, Wifi service, a Passport application office and a website. An in-depth inspection identifies areas throughout the Main Library not meeting construction standards and out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

2004 through 2008 – The community shows its library support again twice to renew the parcel tax.

1994 – Library supporters mount an intense campaign that earns the library an 85% approval of a parcel tax to “Save Our Library.”

1990 to 1991 – Robert “Bob” Lucas, then President of the Board of Trustees, led a campaign to reopen the branch and secured the needed funds from literacy grants. In 1991, the branch is renamed to honor this African American author, noted as a long-time west coast editor of Jet Magazine, who says that reading is “the door to the world and personal freedom.”

Early 1990s – The main library boasts 124,000 books, but now also has one computer for patron use and a collection of large-print books, CDs, videos, books on tape and a flourishing literacy program. California cuts library funding to balance the state budget, and the library’s annual revenue drops by more than a third. Hours are cut. Purchases limited. Staff leave and aren’t replaced.

1960s - 1980s

1983 – A parcel tax measure was on the ballot but fell short of the needed support.

1979 – The Friends of the Altadena Library campaigned to “Save the Library” but failed to raise the needed funds.

1978 – California Proposition 13 forced belt tightening, threatening the district’s existence, and the branch on Lincoln closed.

July 1966 to August 1967 – Altadena architect Boyd Georgi wins the competition to design the structure, with local landscape architects Eriksson, Peters and Thoms designing its surrounding garden setting. Construction of the 24,000 square foot building started on July of 1966 and is completed on schedule and under budget and the doors open to patrons on August of 1967. The library, an exquisite mid-century modern structure in a park-like setting, wins several design awards and is described in newspapers as “the most beautiful small library in the US.”

1965 – The library joins the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System making many thousands of additional books available to patrons and the district eligible to apply for federal construction grants. The $500,000 bond combined with a $250,000 federal grant will cover the construction of the new library.

1963 – A survey paid for by the Friends finds that Altadena has outgrown its main library and needs one 4 times bigger. The Friends help to get a bond passed to pay for a new library.

1961 – The Board of Trustees buys almost two acres of land at Santa Rosa Avenue and Mariposa Street, the former estate of Colonel G. G. Green.

1930s - 1950s

1959 – Local library supporters organize to form the Friends of the Altadena Library.

1957 – The branch moves to a more accessible location on Lincoln at Ventura Street and becomes the Arroyo Seco Library.

1938 – Federal and local funds help build a new main library, designed by Altadena architect Frederick Marsh.

1936 – The Board of Trustees purchased a plot of land on Lake Avenue at Beverly Way.

1900s - 1920s

1928 – The branch moves from the Jackson school to a building on Lincoln Avenue; the district now operates out of its own library buildings.

1926 – Altadena votes to establish their own independent library district, with prominent local citizen Mrs. Zane Grey serving as the president of the district’s first Board of Trustees. The Board soon purchases and moves a bungalow to the school playground to house the newly independent main library, though they still get books and personnel from LA County.

1918 – The county hires its first Altadena librarian and establishes a branch at the Andrew Jackson School.

1913 – The collection outgrows the basket to form a fuller collection of both children’s and adult books and becomes a branch of the Los Angeles County system.

1908 – The “Altadena Library” houses its first books in the form of a bushel basket of donated children’s literature in a local elementary school that has only 3 rooms.