Title
Recommendation to Approve the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to Reuse the Alameda Carnegie Building. (Economic Development 227)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: David L. Rudat, Interim City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff is requesting that City Council approve a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to reuse the historic Alameda Carnegie Library (the "Carnegie Building"), and, if desired, the adjacent Foster House. These buildings are currently vacant, and the Carnegie Building has been closed to the public for 20 years.
Given the great civic, cultural and architectural importance of these structures, the City is seeking an end user that will:
* provide cultural, educational, and/or economic benefits to the community;
* restore and maintain the historic character of the building;
* provide for public use of the building as frequently as possible; and
* demonstrate the financial resources and experience necessary to complete the restoration and operate the facility.
The Carnegie Library may require an estimated $6 million in upgrades for occupancy, and the Foster House will require additional upgrades not included in this cost estimate.
BACKGROUND
The historic Carnegie Building, located at 2264 Santa Clara Avenue, was one of the first three libraries funded by Andrew Carnegie to be built in California. Constructed in 1903, the Carnegie Building was designed by William H. Wilcox and John M. Curtis, and built by Alameda-based Foster & Son, at a cost of $30,842. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Foster House, located at 1429 Oak Street, was originally the home of C.H. Foster, the contractor who built the Carnegie Building. C.H. Foster died in 1915, and his house was converted into the Children's Library in 1926. The Carnegie Building and Foster House remained in continuous operation as a public library until 1998, when the library moved into an interim building and later into the new...
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