The library’s structure, a historic mansion called El Miradero built in 1904 by developer Leslie Coombs Brand, was converted to a library in the 1950s after Brand bequeathed it to the city. It has not been upgraded since the art center was built in 1969.
The 22,000-square-foot complex is home to an art and music library, an art gallery, a 150-seat recital hall and the Brand Art Studios.
The $900,000 contract comes to the council just weeks after the city was forced to sideline a scheduled $10-million renovation of the Central Library as a result of a state take away of local Redevelopment Agency funds.
Library officials, in pitching the Brand Library project, have said the work areas are dysfunctional and inadequate, and the art and music facilities, which contain more than 110,000 items, need room to expand collections.
John Steele, president of Friends of the Glendale Public Library, said the historic complex should be preserved and upgraded as a city resource.
“We are certainly in favor of anything that improves library service in the city,” he said.
Special attention will be paid to the building’s historic nature, but funding is not currently available for a “full-blown historic rehabilitation,” Cleary said. Library officials are continuing to seek other funding sources for historical renovations.
“It’s been on the table, needless to say, for quite a while, so I am thrilled it is going in front of the council,” Cleary said.
A 2000 library master plan included an expanded and renovated Brand Library, but funding constraints have kept the project from becoming a reality.
Bonese Turner, vice president of the Associates of Brand Library, said members of the volunteer organization hope the long-awaited renovations will come to fruition.
“We have been hoping for some time,” she said.
If approved, library officials expect the design to take between nine and 12 months, with construction starting two or three years after that.
