Community Corner
Downtown Library Re-opens After 14 Months
The downtown branch of the Palo Alto Library re-opens its doors after more than a year, with a surprise appearance from its original contractor of 40 years ago.
After fourteen months and millions of dollars worth of renovation, the downtown branch of the Palo Alto Library held its re-opening celebration Saturday, with hundreds of people coming through the door early on.
“We want this library to serve a wide variety of people and families,” said Martha Walters, library technology coordinator. “It’s a popular place for people working downtown, too.”
Walters added that she expected a total crowd in the thousands by the end of re-opening day.
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The majority of the $3.2 million for the renovation came from Measure N funds, which was passed in 2008 to improve three of the five Palo Alto libraries. The remainder of the costs came from the Palo Alto Library Foundation and the Friends of the Palo Alto Library, according to Walters. She said these groups and its donors took care of most of the inside improvements.
“The city could only really afford the frame and the building,” Mayor Sid Espinosa said. “The Library Foundation and the Friends of the Palo Alto Library and other donors took care of the beautiful inside.”
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A surprise to Espinosa, the original downtown branch architect, Bill Busse, made an appearance.
“It doesn’t seem possible it was 40 years ago,” Busse said. “We had big meeting rooms originally. They got chopped up over time and that’s great they’re coming back.”
Busse said he originally spent $300 thousand on the project back in 1971.
The improvements of the library include a multipurpose community room, a redesigned kids area, building infrastructure upgrades, and sustainability and technology features.
The Kids Place in the library is very colorful and animated. It includes a cozy reading area, child-sized chairs, and magnetic walls for posting artwork.
“We go to the Children’s Library at least three times a week,” said Hope Nolan, a Palo Alto mom. “We live just a few blocks away and have been looking forward to this day.”
The upgraded library includes a SMART Board in a new group study room, as well as eight laptops and 12 desktop computers for public use.
The branch, located at at 270 Forest Ave., will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursdays 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The group study area can be reserved ahead of time for free for two hours at a time. The community room can be reserved ahead of time for non-profits and other small non-business events for a small fee, according to Walters.
The is the next to be renovated under Measure N funds and is set to re-open in its permanent location in Fall 2012. The ’s expansion and renovation will follow with a re-opening in Fall 2013.
Walters added that Palo Alto libraries are still free, despite the recent .
