By Jeff Weinstein Santa Monica
The new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose opened in August 2003 at a cost of $177.5 million for a 475,000-square-foot facility, or $374 per square foot. Salt Lake City’s new library by world famous architect Moshe Safdie cost $92 million, comprising 237,000 square feet of space, or $388 per square foot. So it would appear that a major library facility in an urban center costs in the range of $350 to $400 per square foot. Yet, Santa Monica’s new library with 104,000 square feet, excluding the parking garage and temporary library, will cost between $55 to $60 million, or $550 per square foot. Due to the tremendous cost overruns and poor government oversight of this project, the library’s collection capacity will be increased from 300,000 to 350,000 volumes, an increase of just 50,000 books. In addition, not a cent of the total $72 million budget will be spent on a single book, electronic database subscription, or children’s story hour. In other words, our $72 million bought us more attractive space for an additional 50,000 books. However, after the local homeless population moves in and begins to feel more comfortable, the library space paid for so dearly, will no longer be so attractive.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 9, 2004. Read the original PDF.