PASADENA NECEIVED
HERITA GE 160 NORTH OAKLAND AVENUE P 626.441.6333
PRESERVATION | ADVOCACY | EDUCATION PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91101-1714 WWW.PASADENAHERITAGE.ORG 2023 JAN 20 PM 4:43
January 20, 2023 LICE DEN
Pasadena City Council
City of Pasadena
100 North Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, California 9110l
Re: Contract Award to Gruen Associates for Central Library Retrofit Project Dear Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council,
Pasadena Heritage is pleased that Gruen Associates have been selected as the team lead for this critical and important project. The Central Library is a citywide resource for reading, research, education, and events, and an important element of Pasadena's Civic Center. The building is a stunning work of Hunt & Chambers and should be preserved for the next hundred years.
It is crucial that the building is seismically retrofitted to prevent structural damage or failure in the event of an earthquake. We find that Gruen's work on the Brand Library and Glendale Central Library provide pertinent experience for the firm. Finding an appropriate way of retrofitting the building without removing or damaging the irreplaceable historic fabric will be a challenge, but thankfully multiple teams of engineers will be able to scrutinize and advise on this project including KPFF, Nabih Youssef and Associates, Michael Krakower, and the Department of Public Works' own engineers. We are thankful that Historic Resources Group, a local preservation firm, will be working on this project to provide direction and expertise.
Pasadena Heritage hopes that the team of experts and two committees that have formed do not just solve the seismic issue, but can envision how a library might function and what services it may provide in the 215 century. Pasadena's dedication to knowledge, education, science and the arts should be reflected through our library system and our crown jewel, the Central Library. We support this project and this contract.
Sincerely,
Andrew Salimian
Preservation Director
01/23/2023
Item 19
PRESERVATION ADVOCACY EDUCATION