After several months of public meetings, the 22-member Library/Museum task force held its final session this past week, producing what it calls “guiding principles” for the planned expansions of downtown’s Central Library and Riverside Metropolitan Museum. The key recommendation calls for separate expansions of both facilities, with enough space for each to meet their needs.
As part of the recommendation, the panel urged the city to expedite funding and approval of the expansions and also emphasized its desire to see the Chinese Memorial Pavilion remain in its current spot, which we’re glad to see.
The city’s Board of Library Trustees has already endorsed the guidelines with the museum board set to vote on the matter July 8. The guidelines will then go before the City Council for review on August 12.
Recently, two opposing viewpoints concerning the existing library building appeared in the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Below are two excerpts:
1967 – Central Library as seen in a Riverside National Bank calendar (RXSQ collection)
There is a disturbing trend in communities to save every building because buildings say something about who we were when they were built.
… But if we count the downtown library among the buildings that are worth keeping, count me out!
… This month’s Preservation magazine focuses on modernism and asks good questions about the value of buildings. For instance, it suggests that a building be saved if it looks good and the community would be less interesting and less attractive without it. Does the library fit this standard? No.
“Downtown library: a boxy monstrosity” (Kathy Allavie) Riverside Press-Enterprise – June 20, 2008
2006 – Architectural details of Central Library, including its iconic “dove screens” (RXSQ)
… The downtown library was a product of its time when it was built in 1965. Just like many of our most treasured buildings, a local architect designed it. Bolton Moise gave Riverside a library in the then-cutting-edge New Formalism style.
Typical of that style are the concrete screens on the facade. Moise took those screens one step further and created them out of stylized doves, a symbol of peace for a library built after World War II.
… The Carnegie Library, for all its beauty, was torn down because the attitude of the time was much like Allavie’s is today – the building was considered old, ugly and not worthy of preservation.
“Don’t hate Riverside Main Library because it isn’t the Carnegie” (Steve Lech) Riverside Press-Enterprise – June 28, 2008
Though both articles make good points, it should be no surprise that we agree with Steve Lech in that demolishing the current building would be akin to demolishing the original Carnegie back in 1965. It shouldn’t have been done then — and it shouldn’t be done now.
Related
Riverside Press-Enterprise – Don’t hate Riverside Main Library because it isn’t the Carnegie (June 28, 2008) | Riverside Library/Museum Task Force finalizes guidelines (June 26, 2008) | Trustees endorse task force’s ‘guiding principles’ for library, museum expansions (June 24, 2008) | Downtown library: a boxy monstrosity (June 20, 2008)
Pictured is a B&W photo form 1926 of the then newly-built Potter Hotel located on the southeast corner of Market Street at Ninth Street in downtown Riverside. The photo comes to us courtesy of Peter Weber, son of Peter J. Weber who was the chief designer for the Riverside architectural firm of G. Stanley Wilson….
Washington Navel Orange by Jeff3629 Flickr – Raincross Square photo poolGot a great photo of downtown Riverside or the city in general? Add it to the Raincross Square photo pool. Or view what others have uploaded.
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An excellent article regarding the recent residential building boom taking shape in downtown San Diego (a not too distant topic here on this very site) appeared recently on the San Francisco Weekly Website. Writer Matt Smith surmises that San Diego and residents themselves are finally beginning to realize both the need and desirability of some…
California’s UC campuses, including UC Riverside, each earned high marks in a recent college guide issued by Washington Monthly. Promoted as a counter-list of sorts to the one produced by U.S. News and World Report — which weighs heavily toward private institutions — the Washington Monthly list ranks 245 national universities according to three primary…
An apparent settlement between Caltrans and a major contractor has put workers back on site at the $318 million reconstruction of the 60/91/215 freeway interchange in downtown Riverside. The project is designed to reduce traffic at the intersection of highways 60 and 91 and Interstate 215. The job includes two new freeway-to-freeway connectors, upgraded bridges…
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