City of Riverside to Break Ground Monday on New Main Library
Published: 03/13/19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 13, 2019
Contact:
Phil Pitchford
Public Information Officer
951-826-5975
City of Riverside to Break Ground Monday on New Main Library
New facility in the works for more than a decade scheduled for completion in July 2020
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The City of Riverside will break ground Monday (3/18) on a new Main Library that is scheduled for completion in July 2020. The ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the new library site on Fairmount Boulevard between Mission Inn and University avenues.
Crews already are working to install a construction fence, temporary utilities and a construction trailer, while also putting in place demolition and grading equipment, as well as construction signs. Actual construction is scheduled to start March 25.
“Whether it is a child borrowing a book for the first time or an adult using on-site resources to re-enter the workforce, Riverside residents will be well-served by a library with modern technology,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “This public space, which is a continuation of the Riverside Renaissance, will provide our families, jobseekers and entrepreneurs with access to a wealth of information and resources that will help them be successful.”
The three-story building with the address of 3911 University Avenue will front along Mission Inn Avenue on the site of what used to be a bus terminal, just a short distance from the Fox Performing Arts Center and the new Riverside Food Lab. The library site currently is vacant.
The City Council voted earlier this year to award a $37.7 million contract that also includes funds for a new city archive. Counting additional design fees, furniture and other furnishings and other fees, the project is expected to cost $43.3 million.
The new Main Library will be just a few blocks from its existing location on Mission Inn Avenue between Lemon and Orange streets. The existing Main Library is slated to be transformed into the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture and Industry.
“The new Main Library will offer the educational resources – from books to computers – that the community has asked for in a new facility,” said City Councilmember Mike Gardner, who represents the downtown area. “From books to 3D printers, and from toys to tools, the Main Library will be a real resource for the community.”
More information on the new library can be found at: https://www.riversideca.gov/library/
