Renovations to Glendale fire station continue, adjoining library prepares to open

Extensive renovations to the Casa Verdugo library are nearing completion, but work on the adjoining fire station still has a long way to go.

Even as a significant portion of the second floor at Fire Station 26 is gutted, officials hope to open the Casa Verdugo library on the 1100 block of North Brand Boulevard before May 1 — excluding any construction delays, Libraries Director Cindy Cleary said.

The library and fire station have shared the building since 1951. A complete tear-down of the building had been planned, but when the economy took a downturn in 2008, those plans were squashed, said Glendale Fire Battalion Chief Greg Godfrey.

Still, the aging building had to undergo improvements to meet modern disabled access standards, so the city set aside some funding to make upgrades to the fire station and library, Godfrey said. The renovations are slated to cost about $300,000.

The library will received a new concrete wheel-chair ramp with motorized front doors and an interior service desk was removed to create an open space, Cleary said.

Additional seating and computer space was also allotted during the renovation, and the library will showcase a smaller collection with newer book titles on the shelves, she added.

“We are trying to give the library a different feel,” Cleary said.

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA