91ÊÓƵ

Walsh Construction this week started an eight-month project to upgrade the Green and Blue rooms in the Powell’s Books store on West Burnside Street.

Walsh is performing seismic upgrades and improving fire suppression, lighting and electrical systems on the first floor of the 102-year-old building. Also, the building’s single-level portion will get a new roof and windows, said Miriam Sontz, Powell’s CEO.

The project is expected to cost at least $1 million and be completed by August, she said.

The remodel itself will be geared toward making the building more structurally sound and less prone to leaks, Sontz said. The effects of the remodel, when completed, should not be noticed, she added.

“We are bringing that building into the 21st century, but at the same time keeping that iconic Powell’s look,” she said.

Powell’s has occupied the building, which formerly housed a car dealership, since 1980, Sontz said.

The company moved approximately 150,000 books from its Literature section in the Blue room to the Purple room, she said. The store has reduced its inventory slightly, but customers probably will not notice in a store that contains more than 1 million books, she said.

All customers are being redirected from the Green room entrance off of Burnside Street to the entrance at Northwest 11th Avenue and Couch Street.