LAKEPORT, Calif. – Community members gathered at Lakeport City Hall on Wednesday evening to share ideas about how the Carnegie Library can be used and preserved in the future.
About two dozen people took part in the two-hour-and 40-minute “visioning workshop” hosted by the city of Lakeport and San Francisco-based Garavaglia Architecture.
The firm, which has experience dealing with historic buildings, was hired earlier this year and tasked with doing a feasibility study for new and best uses for the 96-year-old building.
The study – which is to cost no more than $10,000 – is funded half by a $5,000 grant won by the Lakeport Main Street Association and another $5,000 contributed by the city.
Preservation architect Mike Garavaglia and Jacqui Hogans, an architectural conservator, led the discussion after introductions by City Manager Margaret Silveira and city economic development consultant Wilda Shock.
Silveira said of the building, “It's a great asset to our community.”
In May, Garavaglia's team visited the city, met with city officials and gave the building a thorough inspection as a first step to the study. He explained that the visioning workshop was the next step, which will lead to a summary report that will be presented to the council in July.
“It's a very simple contract but a very powerful process,” he said.
Hogans gave a brief overview of the history of the building, which opened in 1918 and was operated as a library until 1985, at which point it was turned over the city. It's been used by the University of California and for city offices and storage. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
Hogans said the study is looking at “character defining features” of the building and will assess what are the highest priorities to keep.
For a building approaching its centennial, it's in excellent condition, Hogans said.
On the exterior, there are some minor concrete cracks and spalls, and deterioration of the wood windows and trim – which she said is completely understandable due to the building's age and proximity to the lake.
The building's roof was replaced in 1997 and no exterior leaks have been reported. The building's shell also is in excellent shape, she said.
The building's interior features wood shelving and the original circulation desk, all of which are in excellent condition. Hogans said those are considered character defining features.
There are two areas where the interior ceiling plaster has fallen away in chunks, which Hogans said may have been due to inadequate preparation when it was originally applied.
She said overall the building's systems are adequate for potential uses. However, the first floor bathrooms – one for men, one for women – would need to be renovated based on how the building will be used.
The building has a total of 3,000 square feet, equally split between the two floors, she said.
Garavaglia said site conditions are prone to flooding. The area was most recently flooded in 1998.
Other considerations include the need to make the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, with a lift or elevator needed.
The community's pride in the building, it was noted, is one of its benefits. Garavaglia also pointed out that the library sits in the heart of the community, and so what uses eventually are housed there will be of more interest than the average storefront.
Garavaglia said he designs around context, and that this project will require “a specialized kind of remodeling.”
The building is symmetrical, which is common for Carnegie Libraries. Its windows are an important character dynamic and are in good shape for their age, he said.
Garavaglia said he's not suggesting full window replacement; instead, he said weather stripping, minor repair, making sure the windows work properly, and use of natural ventilation, screens and curtains would help deal with temperature.
While he wants to preserve the “libraryness” of the building, “Most of these buildings are not fragile,” said Garavaglia, explaining that historical buildings tend to be robust and can change. “We don't want to be too timid.”
During a brainstorming session with the community members in attendance, perceptions of the building were recorded. Participants identified the library as a gathering place and a gateway to the lake, a retreat from Main Street and a place of childhood memories.
Suggested uses included an educational and research facility; an event space, rental venue or gallery; a wine center; television station; lake and heritage center; and cafe space.
The participants broke up into four small groups and then went over ideas, presenting their suggestions along with maps that showed their drawn-in design improvements.
Among the proposals were a large deck area to be added to the back of the building, along with an elevator and new entry points; a remodeled interior; and improved exterior lighting.
To achieve the needed remodeling, it was proposed that the city could explore public-private partnerships, either renting the library out to a private organization or a nonprofit, with the idea that the building would be available to the public – for events, cafe space, or a learning and historical center – and that its use would generate revenue.
Garavaglia said they will take the information from the group, work it into a summary and include it in the presentation to the Lakeport City Council in mid-July.
Considerations for remodeling the building
During the Wednesday discussion, Garavaglia noted that, because the Carnegie Library is on the National Register of Historic Places, renovation has to follow the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation, which are 10 guidelines set up by the National Park Service, Garavaglia said.
The specific guidelines were not discussed during the meeting, but they are presented below to show some of the considerations that must be taken into account in modernizing the library.
The guidelines below are published on the National Park Service Web site, http://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/rehabilitation/rehab/stand.htm .
1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
7. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
8. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
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