Library to Stay Open During Work

The 60-year-old Venice branch library will remain open while undergoing earthquake retrofitting and until a new facility is built, city officials said.

The branch library at 610 California Ave., built in 1930, was ordered closed several years ago by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety for failing to meet earthquake safety standards, but library officials obtained extensions to keep the building open because funds for the retrofitting were not available.

The extensions were to expire April 15, but a community group, Friends of Venice Library, and representatives from City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter’s office persuaded the Department of Building and Safety to let the building stay open if initial retrofitting work was done by the end of April.

Workers are tearing apart the roof after library hours to install braces that will attach the roof to the walls. The construction poses no danger to library patrons and should be completed within six months, said construction and maintenance supervisor Edward Kurzyniec.

The library, which officially qualifies as a historical building, is one of the city-owned buildings whose retrofitting would be paid for by a $374-million bond issue on the June ballot.

Meanwhile, design plans are being drawn for a new $2.3-million branch library with twice the capacity of the existing building. Officials estimate construction on the 10,500-square-foot facility scheduled to be built at 501 S. Venice Blvd. should be completed by June, 1992.

The old building will be used as a community center after the new one is completed, officials said.