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The Astoria Public Library will soon have twice as much usable space 鈥� a total of approximately 18,000 square feet 鈥� following conversion of its basement.

Hennebery Eddy Architects designed for the city of Astoria an approximately $10.7 million renovation of the library at 450 10th St. In November 2022, Astoria voters approved an $8 million bond measure for the project.

The project team also includes construction manager/general contractor 翱鈥橞谤颈别苍, civil and structural engineer KPFF, mechanical and plumbing engineer Arris Consulting, electrical engineer Interface Engineering, landscape architect DELA Studio, and owner鈥檚 representative Otak.

翱鈥橞谤颈别苍 was brought on board at the beginning of the year to collaborate with Hennebery Eddy Architects, Otak and the city of Astoria.

鈥淭his opportunity to partner with such a dedicated team was incredibly exciting, especially for me, having grown up in Astoria and now raising young children who will benefit directly from this new space,鈥� 翱鈥橞谤颈别苍 project manager Derek Salo stated in an email.

Astoria鈥檚 library was designed by Ebba Wicks Brown, the second licensed female architect in Oregon, and built in 1967, 翱鈥橞谤颈别苍 states in a press release. Brown designed several Astoria buildings, including the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Her work was within the realm of forward-thinking architecture and was very influential in the coastal region, Hennebery Eddy Architects principal architect David Wark said.

The library鈥檚 basement previously held mechanical equipment and storage space. The mechanical systems will be removed; their replacement 鈥� a new, highly efficient system 鈥� will be installed on the roof, Salo stated.

The basement, which is visually connected to the main level by an open staircase, will gain an exhibition gallery, a media room, two study rooms, a print collection on Astoria, archive collections, and a large Memorial Flag Room.

鈥淭he original flag room (upstairs) was no longer accommodating the number of people they needed to have in meetings and in public gatherings and particularly for author readings that they could only get half the people they wanted to get in,鈥� Wark said.

The new Memorial Flag Room will address that problem, he said.

Meanwhile, the children鈥檚 area upstairs will double in size and include early learning space. Also, a teen room will be created upstairs.

During an extensive engagement process, one of the repeated requests was to add more light to the existing building, Wark said.

鈥淚t has these long, vertical, slot windows and not very many of them,鈥� he said.

The building鈥檚 mid-century Brutalist and international architecture styles will be retained, but the renovation will introduce daylight and open the library to the streetscape. The idea was to open the north elevation that faces Duane Street (the reading room) and the west elevation (the entrance side), Wark said.

鈥淲e carved out an opening in that reading room that corresponds to about the same size as the new glass wall,鈥� he said.

On the north side, daylight will flood into the exhibition gallery specifically.

A non-original mezzanine with a book stack consumed a lot of space in the reading room, Wark said. By removing that element, the reading room will be restored to its original layout. Both the reading room and a corner of the children鈥檚 area will have double-height space.

The design of the renovation uses the 鈥渞ed thread theory鈥� 鈥� a Nordic design principle that focuses on applying a consistent set of elements. The principle uses a narrative or collective heritage of many people, Wark said. For Astoria, that is the Chinook nation, the Nordic community and the Chinese community.

鈥淲e took that idea and started to try to understand what that collective heritage is that connects those three cultures,鈥� Wark said. 鈥淭hat became kind of what directed us and influenced us in our design approach.鈥�

In the children鈥檚 area and throughout the building there will be ovoid forms and lines that reference those from the Chinook nation. Rope and cedar floats, fishing industry elements, will be between the children鈥檚 area and the lobby. Also, areas will be reserved for large wall murals and carved panels; artists are likely to be selected early next year.

Historically, libraries have focused on providing books for reading, Wark said. But libraries now offer digital literacy and media literacy options. The renovated Astoria Public Library will be a 21st century facility that allows people to experience new forms of literacy, he said. These amenities include the media room and the early learning area for children.

Construction began in September and is expected to finish in fall 2025. The renovated library is set to reopen late next year, likely in October.

鈥淲e are thrilled to be part of this historic project and to complete a building that will serve as a major hub for the city of Astoria for many years to come,鈥� Salo stated.

On the Boards is a 91视频 feature offering a look at projects in Oregon and Southwest Washington being tackled by local architecture firms. To have your firm鈥檚 projects considered, contact 91视频 reporter Hilary Dorsey at [email protected].