Here's Loussac Library (Anchorage's main libray) on May 10, 2016. They've taken out the whole atrium area. The geometric metallic grid is, I believe, what held up the ceiling/roof glass. The whole glassed-in area is now gone.
Below is pretty much the same view on Loussac's opening back in 1986.
And here's the atrium back on March 23 of this year. The stairway and the deck with the statue of William Seward are gone.
And today, all the glass is gone. I think those X's in the top row of windows are the bracing that is sitting out in front now in the top picture (and a couple below.) It's scary that I only 'think' this,
that I'm not sure. For all the times I was in there, you'd think I'd be certain. But I guess I never observed as carefully as I should have. But it did make enough of an impression that I 'think' that's it.
The top picture was taken from the stairs in the Alaska room to the right of this picture. But the library wasn't open when I was there tonight, so this is from on top of the grassy slope to where the entrance deck was.
This is looking directly to where the glassed atrium was against the wall there.
Here's a better view of the grid. It'd make a great playground feature. I'm wondering if it's going back in as part of the new library or if it's just sitting here until it's taken away. Based on this picture of what the entrance will look like, it appears this grid is headed for the scrap pile. I still think it should be a playground jungle gym..
The Alaska Journal of Commerce had a different view of the entrance. It looks different from the one above. From what I can tell, the top one was later than the bottom one.
I wasn't the only one there checking this out and I knew I had to include this next picture, particularly for Michelle.
To put all this in context, here are some excerpts from the 2010 Anchorage Library Master Plan:
From a September 2015 memo on delays in construction, we do have this estimated opening date.
Below is pretty much the same view on Loussac's opening back in 1986.
 |
| Image from 2012 What Do I Know? post |
And here's the atrium back on March 23 of this year. The stairway and the deck with the statue of William Seward are gone.
The top picture was taken from the stairs in the Alaska room to the right of this picture. But the library wasn't open when I was there tonight, so this is from on top of the grassy slope to where the entrance deck was.
This is looking directly to where the glassed atrium was against the wall there.
Here's a better view of the grid. It'd make a great playground feature. I'm wondering if it's going back in as part of the new library or if it's just sitting here until it's taken away. Based on this picture of what the entrance will look like, it appears this grid is headed for the scrap pile. I still think it should be a playground jungle gym..
 |
| Image from Anchorage Library Foundation |
The Alaska Journal of Commerce had a different view of the entrance. It looks different from the one above. From what I can tell, the top one was later than the bottom one.
 |
| Image from Alaska Journal of Commerce |
I wasn't the only one there checking this out and I knew I had to include this next picture, particularly for Michelle.
To put all this in context, here are some excerpts from the 2010 Anchorage Library Master Plan:
"Some upgrades to the Z. J. Loussac building have already been completed and others are underway; however, additional improvements, including the redesign of the Library entrance, are on hold because of the failure of an April ballot proposition that would have partially funded that project." (p. 19)
"Some upgrades to the Z. J. Loussac building have already been completed and others are underway; however, additional improvements, including the redesign of the Library entrance, are on hold because of the failure of an April ballot proposition that would have partially funded that project." (p. 44)
"A concept for redesigning the entrance area exists but has not been implemented due to a lack of funding. A library staff committee produced an excellent report that contained ideas for the revitalization of several of the Loussac Library’s interior spaces. Many components for moving the Loussac Library in the direction of becoming Anchorage’s community living room are available but have not yet been acted upon." (p. 44)
From a September 2015 memo on delays in construction, we do have this estimated opening date.
"Based upon the changed scope-of-work, which has added days and is subject to change again as the project proceeds, the new scheduled opening of the Entry and Upgrades is set for December 31, 2016."The the Library Foundation website says:
"The Z.J. Loussac renewal began in May 2015 and is scheduled to be finished in early 2017."Maybe they can have the opening before every little detail is finished.
[*Repost - that's a warning to those who subscribe and have already seen this. Feedburner is being balky again. As I mentioned in the last post, this seems to be due to Google neglect of this feature (See "Feedburner: Google's Biggest Screwup") and I have to find a new way to get the RSS feeds to other blogrolls for more consistency and speed.]
I agree w/ you — it would be a shame to waste that metal lattice-work. It looks sturdy and is attractive. You probably know this but, as an architect told me years ago, the original design of the library had included a parking garage where the main lot is situated now. A walkway was to lead patrons to and from the garage into the main entrance. No high and wide staircase was part of the design. But apparently the project went over budget and they had to shelve the garage, necessitating the flawed and cursed stairs to the second-floor main entrance. Over-budget costs, I believe, also affected the Performing Arts Center, which as a result lost a small black-box theater (corner of 5th and G) and paneling along the hallways outside the Discovery Theatre, all of which had been part of the original design. But I also heard that the Municipality did not have to borrow money for any of the Project 80s structures, that it paid for all of them outright. If true, that's a fair tradeoff. — Peter Porco
ReplyDeletePeter, I knew that the stairs were a compromise because of costs, but didn't know about the garage. And the Project 80s money came to the Muni from the State if I remember correctly. All that oil money back then.
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