The Alhambra Civic Center Library
Construction Progress

Architect's depiction of how the library will look upon completion.
 
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT TO THE NEW ALHAMBRA CIVIC CENTER LIBRARY!
 
Proposed First-Floor  Plan    /    Proposed Second-Floor Plan
100th Birthday Celebration!

May2007 Update 
 
...Pouring 1800 cubic yards of concrete for upper level parking deck;
...Installation of first structural steel columns;
Installation of formwork for podium (street-level) deck.

 
(May 29, 2007)                                                                            (May 22, 2007)

 
(April 12, 2007)                                                                           (March 21, 2007)
 
   
(Feb. 27, 2007)                                                                         (Feb. 17, 2007)               

 
Erection of scaffolding in the background; concrete           Bottom left workman is tying steel rebar to wall; top
pump and boom (foreground) pouring foundation              left scaffolding. Middle concrete mixer unloading
footing.  (Jan. 22, 2007)                                                             concrete into concrete pump; foreground freshly
                                                                                                        poured conrete pad footings.

 
Pouring of concrete footing with concrete pump.                A column rebar cage being placed along the wall rebar
                                                                                                      on the north side of the project. (Jan. 16, 2007)
 

The two photos above show steel rebar for the walls and columns being delivered. (Jan. 16, 2007)  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sinanian Development, Inc. of Tarzana, CA, was selected by the City of Alhambra to complete the construction of the new Alhambra Civic Center Library, currently being built at 101 South First Street, adjacent to City Hall. The company received a construction award of $27,960,000, financed through the sale of the existing library and tax increment bonds issued by the Redevelopment Agency and other revenues. The new library will be comprised of a total floor area of 45,000 sq. ft. and a two-level underground parking garage with approximately 240 spaces. Charles Walton Associates AIA, Inc., (CWA AIA) of Glendale, was contracted to design the new facility. The exterior of the building will compliment the Moorish design elements common to Alhambra's other Civic Center facilities, while the interior will be bright, colorful and comfortable. Service areas will feature unique design elements to clearly identify where you are with specially-designed portals for each section. These will include areas for young children, teens, and adults, as well as a Literacy center and space devoted to the International Language collection. Each area will include its own seating, shelving, computers and study rooms, as well as reference and other collections. A spacious multi-purpose room, designed for library programs, public activities and meetings will be available; with its attached kitchen and independent, outside access doors, the room can be used "after hours." Another exciting element described by the architect is an outdoor patio reading area off the second floor service area. Following a trend more typically found in bookstore than in libraries, readers may be able to purchase a cup of coffee at an onsite beverage kiosk. Due to the city's growing population, the Main Street library has been hampered by a lack of adequate space, mechanical and electrical systems, and suffers from insufficient parking for patrons and staff. There is no space in the existing facility to add new materials to its collections, computers have to be rebooted frequently due to power issues, children often have to sit on the floor to read, and it has been necessary to reconfigure the community room to serve other purposes, thereby leaving the library without a meeting area. Due to the nature of the building and property site, the current facility is not opportune for expansion or rehabilitation to meet future needs. The new library will balance the use of land throughout the Project Area by creating a comprehensive Civic Center, while the sale of the existing site to a leading development firm will create a higher and better economic use of the existing library site, and upgrade the aesthetic characteristic of the site and overall character of the Downtown, as well as provide for the expansion of the community's housing in the Downtown area. From a redevelopment viewpoint, "the construction of a new library adjacent to City Hall and a new downtown mixed-use facility is a win-win situation," noted Julio Fuentes, Alhambra City Manager. "And it's being achieved without placing any new taxes or fees on our property owners." The existing library, located at 410 West Main Street, has been sold to a private developer, the J.H. Synder Company, and will be torn down and replaced by a five-story multi-use complex. The company's proposal consists of building 136 residential units (with two and three bedrooms per unit); 6,650 square feet of retail/office space front Main Street; and 381 at grade and subterranean parking spaces. Estimated project value is $75,000,000.