Salt Lake City PL Unveils Safdie Design
Staff -- Library Journal, 2/28/2000
The Salt Lake City Public Library has unveiled plans by architect Moshe Safdie for the library's new main branch. Safdie's most recent library is Library Square in Vancouver, BC, completed in 1995. The $78 million Salt Lake City facility is part of a program to double space for collections, establish a landmark in the city's Civic Core, and create interactive public spaces. The 200,000 square foot library will feature a triangular main building, an adjacent rectangular administration building, a glass-enclosed Urban Room, and a public piazza. A curving, climbable wall will weave the site together and contain shops, food establishments, and a roof garden. A 600-space underground parking garage is part of the plan. "In November 1998, the voters of Salt Lake City gave us a mandate to build a world-class library," said Library Director Nancy Tessman. "This design embodies the idea that a library should be more than a repository of books and computers -- it should reflect a city's imagination and aspirations." Architect Safdie called the project "an opportunity to create an open, inviting urban learning complex for the 21st century." Existing courts, a jail, and parking facilities are being demolished to make room. The groundbreaking is scheduled for this fall, with completion of the building two years later. Mayor Rocky Anderson told the Salt Lake Tribune that the library could be the focal point of a town square, "the most vibrant part of the city and a must-see place for tourists.... It could change the entire tenor of downtown."
