This important project is scheduled to last approximately 24 months, with completion planned for summer of 2002. Throughout the construction, the Libraries staff will do their best to provide efficient, uninterrupted services and access to the collections in Suzzallo. We will update you on the construction progress with this newsletter and on our Suzzallo Renovation Web page, www.lib.washington.edu/about/suzzren/. At the end of the project, we will have a safer library building for everyone to enjoy.

Thank you,

Betty G. Bengtson,
Director of University Libraries

Phase 1 of Suzzallo Library Renovation Project, the seismic upgrade and renovation of the 1925, 1935 and 1947 building wings, began on July 27, 2000. Turner Construction Company mobilized its offices and work forces on the site, set up the fences, cleared and prepared the south staging area, and installed protection over historic finishes in the three older parts of Suzzallo. For more information about the site preparation, please see the FAQs on the Suzzallo Renovation Web page.

The next step was to install the acoustic, dust, and fire separation walls between the 1963 wing and the Phase 1 work. The subcontractors are now bringing temporary power and water to the site. They are also performing substantial demolition, which will continue through December, so that seismic bracing and concrete shearwalls can be installed. Subcontractors also must dismantle, index, store and protect the many doors, windows and light fixtures so that Suzzallo will be returned to its original architectural integrity.

Suzzallo Library is still open, and all of the services and collections are available. However, in order to clear the construction zones, some units have been compressed, and some units and collections have been moved to different locations. Building signage has been changed to reflect the new locations. The floor plan on the next page shows the individual sections of Suzzallo Library. Under construction right now and closed are the 1925 and 1935 wings, the octagon area, and the 1947 section. The 1963 wing remains open.

The West Entrance to Suzzallo has closed and is now behind construction fencing. Instead, everyone must enter Suzzallo through the Allen Library doors.

Suzzallo Reading Room is closed for the duration of the construction. However, we have posted color photos of this historic space on the Suzzallo Renovation Web page:

www.lib.washington.edu/about/ suzzren/readroom.html.

The following works of art reside in Suzzallo Library and need to be protected during renovation. The methods used will vary depending on the type and location of the art.

• Smith Room historical murals
• Sculptures
  • Circum Okto
  • The Waiting Multitude
• Glass globes of the world from Suzzallo Reading Room
• Liberty Bell replica
• Bust of Harry Bridges
• Stained glass windows

The Smith Room historical wall murals represent the history and exploration of the Northwest and were painted in 1934 by artists Paul M. Gustin and John T. Jacobsen. They include maps with topographical details, historical figures and flowers indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. The murals were composed using a water-based paint on canvas, which was then glued to the walls.

These historical wall murals required the most elaborate protection and are being preserved in place. A conservator was hired to plan the process, which began with the installation of floor-to-ceiling scaffolding so that a thorough cleaning could be done. A very mild non-water and non-solvent based solution was used. The surface was then covered with pieces of special plastic film, designed to protect the murals from microbes and dust. The final step was to fasten foam padding over the murals.

In the past, the only access to the Smith Room was through the Suzzallo Reading Room. Once renovation is complete, the Smith Room will be more accessible to the public via a newly created corridor. The Libraries will then have the ability to share this historic space more generously.

Circum Okto is a freestanding metal sculpture completed by John Geise in 1964 and presented to the University by the Ford Foundation. This sculpture was formerly located in the rotunda outside Suzzallo Reading Room and during renovation has been moved out of the construction zone to another space on the same floor. Once renovation is over, Circum Okto will be returned to the 3rd floor rotunda.

The Waiting Multitude, a cast metal relief by Ray Jensen, was formerly located above the first floor corridor. The architects who designed the 1963 wing of Suzzallo commissioned this piece in 1967. Jensen, a UW alumnus, described his work as representing the " aggregate peoples of the world who suffer from the many and compounding problems that beset them…" The wall it adorned will be permanently altered during renovation, and the sculpture will no longer fit the space. Eventually, it will be installed in a new quiet-study room to be located in the West end of Suzzallo, First Floor. In the meantime, it has been crated and stored.

The rotunda area was also home to a small replica of the Liberty Bell. The replica was presented to the Libraries in 1976 as part of the United States Bicentennial. Manuscripts, Special Collections, University Archives will store the bell until renovation is complete, at which time it will return to the glass cabinet in the rotunda.

The two hand-painted world globes that hang from the ceiling at either end of the Suzzallo Reading Room, were removed by ArtTech, the same firm that installed the fossil crocodile in Allen South. These delicate pieces have been crated and stored for the duration of renovation.

The representation of Seattle labor leader Harry Bridges, formerly located in a prominent place inside the West Entrance of Suzzallo, is being stored in Manuscripts, Special Collections, University Archives.

Last but not least, the stained glass windows will be protected in place with plywood coverings, or removed and stored if necessary.

• Demolish slab sections and building corners for shearwall, structural bracing, and seismic floor knitting.

• Pour concrete shearwall footings for the 1925 and 1935 building corners. Form and pour shearwalls.

• Remove and catalog original stone for Suzzallo Reading Room and West Entrance.

• Detail and fabricate the structural steel for attic and Grand Stair trusses.

• Continue mechanical and electrical demolition as well as coordination drawings. Begin initial mechanical and electrical installation.

• Remove windows and construct exterior loading platforms at north and south staging areas.