The politics of modern design within a historic downtown district & the dialog between past  &  present.

In an effort to keep the project moving forward, the Berkeley Unified School District and ELS Architects changed some aspects of the project in response to concern from the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association and the Landmarks Preservation Commission.  ELS would not alter the general massing of the Allston façade because it does respond to the heights of other buildings on the campus and it was intentionally designed to celebrate the communal nature of the Library as different from classrooms.  ELS did, however, remove the angle from the Library façade as a compromise.  Windows were enlarged at some areas of the Allston façade in response to BAHA, but at other areas blank wall was preserved  in conformance with the adjacent Community Theater.  ELS would not budge on the metal panels but clarified that they would be painted with a matte finish to match the concrete.  While ELS did not provide additional ornamentation, they did provide areas for the future installation of bas-reliefs similar to those found on existing campus buildings.  Finally, the blockage of Kittredge could not be changed because the school district found the connection of the two buildings imperative to daily operations. 

When all was said and done, however, BAHA and LPC were still concerned with the level of compromise and adherence to the plan of 1937.  When looking back to the plan of 1937, it is important to realize that all goals laid out in that plan were established with the sensibilities of that time, and that needs and priorities change.  Additionally, the school district's limited funding could not make it possible to fully address all concerns.  It should be recognized that ELS actually thought very carefully about the context and pulled elements from the older buildings on the school campus: colonnade, curved elements, color, rhythm of joints, etc. to establish cohesion.

Resources:

May 4, 1999 letter from ELS Architects summerizing all compromises and rationales for issues that would not be compromised:

September 1, 1999 letter from BAHA to the Berkeley Unified School District expressing discontent with design issues not changed: