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Siting Tucson’s Downtown Main Library

Various Locations Considered in the 1980s

by Ken Scoville

hould the new Tucson Main Library be located in Downtown?”

That was the basic question that needed to be answered back in the 1980s when planning began for the site selection, financing and construction of a new Main Library facility for Tucson.

There was agreement that after 85 years in the Carnegie Library building on 6th Avenue, it was time for a larger and more modern facility. Downtown proponents and many of those most vocal about the need for a new building wanted the new structure to be Downtown as well.

A 1984 city bond issue included approximately $16 million for a new library, but no specifics as to the location. Some East Siders wanted it in their neighborhood and made reference to the overcrowded Wilmot branch.

Following the successful bond election, political support kept the new library Downtown, but specifically where to put it brought several proposals, including the green space of Veinte de Agosto Park between Broadway and Congress. This proposal was endorsed by city manager Joel Valdez because of reduced costs and the argument that the library would be an “artful centerpiece” for Downtown at that location.

Three private-public proposals with office towers and parking garages were brought forward to a citizen’s committee for consideration. HSL Properties’ Humberto S. Lopez suggested strengthening the east side of Downtown with the new library at Scott Avenue and Congress. Alan Norville envisioned the library on his land at South Granada, just west of the Convention Center, and George and David Mehl of Cottonwood Properties made a proposal for the northwest corner of Stone and Pennington.

A very innovative plan for a new library that never gained traction was proposed by architect James Gresham of the NBBJ Group. The new library would be on the site of the original Carnegie Library but would be underground with natural light and restoration of the original library as the entry foyer and offices.

A citizen’s panel, library director Marcia King, and Joel Valdez ultimately supported the Cottonwood plan.

In November 1981, Cottonwood Properties had purchased the Steinfeld Trust properties, where Jácome’s, J.C. Penney’s, and the Downtown Shoppers’ Parking Garage were still standing. The new Downtown library proposal would place the library just north of a 22-story high-rise on the block between Pennington and Alameda. The new parking garage would be shared by both facilities. After much negotiation, it was agreed that the city would purchase the former Steinfeld Trust property and then enter into a lease agreement with Cottonwood; the company would then go ahead with the tower construction and post a $3 million bond as proof of its intentions. Three years later the real estate market was in almost complete collapse; savings and loans and major developers, including Cottonwood Properties, were on the edge of bankruptcy. In that real estate market, the high-rise proposal was not feasible, but the city retained ownership of the land and the $3 million bond.

The city would continue on its own in the design and construction of the new library with additional costs for property acquisition on top of those for the Cottonwood property. Anderson DeBartolo and Pan, Inc. was selected as the architectural firm; redesign costs were incurred when the high-rise tower was deleted. The selected landscape firm was SWA, based in Houston, Texas. Both of these firms would receive sharp criticism for their designs in that both were significant departures from the norm. These departures broke the pattern of “traditional” southwestern architecture in favor of a very contemporary wedge shape with a marble skin. The placement and shape were dictated by design considerations that assumed the southern end of the site would include a tower and that the Downtown Shoppers Garage and other buildings would not be demolished.

Later decisions opted for the demolition of the garage and most of the other buildings. Lastly, the Old Pima County Courthouse would not have been visible from the east side of the block without the wedge shape. The reality of the landscape plan brought controversy since over an acre of grass would be featured at a time when the city was requiring drought-resistant landscaping for private development. There were also concerns that the sprinkler system for the grass would use potable water.

The library continued to be the center of controversy with the selection of the art work “Sonora” that was an impressionistic interpretation of the Tucson Mountains with the color suggesting the “reddish glow of the mountains at night.”

On the afternoon of May 4, 1990, the grand opening of the “cursed, delayed, and redrawn” new Main Downtown Library became a reality. The library structure had been completed months earlier, but budget considerations delayed the opening. The saga of controversy continued with the revelation that library director Marcia King had spent $10,000 of public money for her office furniture.

The final costs for this Downtown revitalization project would be $6 million more than the allotted $16 million, but all involved felt a sense of relief that Downtown had a new main library that was open for business.

In the last few years, the Main Library has been renamed as the Joel D. Valdez Main Library; the plaza has been re-landscaped and renamed the Jácome Plaza, and the City of Tucson has transferred control of the entire public library system to Pima County.

The Joel D. Valdez Main Library continues to be an anchor attraction for Downtown, with about 700,000 visitors each year. The library plaza has become a treasured community space, as its central Downtown location has proven to be ideal for many public events.

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