After a trip back to the architect's drafting table to reduce costs, the expanded Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library re-opens Saturday, March 10.

Six general contractors bid to build the Southwest Library in 2004 but all of the bids were higher than the $3 million budget. Construction costs were on the rise then as now.

So Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects erased the trellis arcade that would have extended from the front door across the entrance to the parking lot. Ultimately the project cost $6.2 million.

The old Southwest branch, vintage 1961, was a one-story brick building largely hidden by rhododendrons. It was often overlooked in the rush of traffic on 35th Avenue. It measured just over 800 square feet.

Standing two stories tall and closer to 35th Avenue, the new Southwest Library is much more imposing.

The exterior of the new library is comprised of weather-resistant resin panels covered with a wood veneer, explained Justine Kim, project manager. The panels require little maintenance and can stand up to weather, she said.

A high, covered walkway leads to the front door with a book-drop to the right. Along the walkway are five pedestals, each topped with a pair of bronze hands, molded from volunteers ages 5 to 80 and cupped to hold various items. One set holds a small trolley on a track to represent West Seattle's original mass transit system. The sculptures are by Katherine Kerr of Vancouver, B.C. and entitled "Anthology."

Inside the front door is a tall vestibule. Given prominent display is a bronze abstract wall sculpture called "Woman Reading with Child" by Charles W. Smith that was in the 1961 library.

After the Smith sculpture was installed, Librarian Christy Tyson saw an older woman outside the glass door peering in at the sculpture with tears in her eyes. She was pleased to see the artwork's new setting.

The vestibule is separated by glass from the atrium, which is topped with a large skylight. The circulation desk and reference desk are located in the atrium at the center of the new 15,000-square-foot library. From there, librarians can see throughout the building and even into the upstairs meeting room. It has a glass wall facing the atrium too.

The children's area is in the northwest section of the library with an unobstructed view from the circulation desk. There are kid-size wooden chairs arranged around small tables. The chairs have a midnight sun design cut out of the backs. There are window seats and even a small love seat.

There are also four computers in the kids' section, each equipped with Internet filters.

On the other side of the library on the south wall is the young adults' nook, with hip chairs and a cork wall to pin up whatever. Nearby is a shelf loaded with graphic novels that look like bound comic books.

The media section is steps away with DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes and audio books. They're spread out so more people can look through them at the same time.

"CDs are so small that one person could block the whole collection," Tyson explained.

The Southwest Library also has an area devoted to materials written in Spanish. That's because Spanish is widely spoken in the neighborhoods served by the library. There are also many Vietnamese residents so librarians decided to put a collection of Spanish materials in the Southwest branch and Vietnamese materials in the High Point branch, Tyson said.

Librarians tried to find materials written in the languages of East Africa too but there just isn't much available, she said.

The adult section is in the northeastern corner of the building with a cluster of inviting chairs with table lamps that have laptop plug-ins. That's where the periodicals are located too.

The east section of the old building was incorporated into the new building. Most of the library's book collection is located there. The east wall's roofline windows have been enlarged while the slope of the old ceiling echoes in the ceiling of the new addition.

Upstairs are a new meeting room, staff offices and restrooms. Normally, the second floor will be off limits to the public but the meeting room will be made available for community use. It's equipped with a projection screen, whiteboard and sink. The meeting room and the second-floor restrooms can be sealed off from the rest of the library for after-hours public events.

The expanded library has 23 computers with Internet access. Card catalogs are obsolete so the library made the Dewey Decimal System accessible from computers at "catalog stations." There are also two self-serve checkout stations.

Another change has happened outdoors. Now it's easier to park in front of the library, located at 9010 35th Ave. S.W. The parking lane was widened 3 feet. That makes it safer for people carrying an armload of books or babies to get out of their cars, Tyson said.

The Southwest Library also has some impressive artwork. A 1959 painting by Northwest artist Kenneth Callahan called "The Search" is perhaps the most important, Tyson said. It will get a more visible location.

West Seattle artist Morgan Brig made five copper and enamel panels that hang outside the second-floor meeting room.

The seed of today's Southwest Library sprouted in 1945 in the Fauntleroy business district. Called Fauntleroy Station, it was one of many tiny libraries that were set up around the city during World War II to serve Seattle's burgeoning population. The Fauntleroy Station proved popular enough to warrant a full-size library to serve the southern part of West Seattle. The West Seattle branch in the Admiral District was the only public library in West Seattle then.

Seattle voters approved a $5 million library bond in 1956 that built a new Central Library downtown as well as the Southwest Library in 1961. Books from Fauntleroy Station were moved to the Southwest branch. Within two years of opening, the Southwest Library became the third-busiest branch in the system.

The grand reopening celebration is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 10. The dedication ceremony, with Mayor Greg Nickels, City Librarian Deborah Jacobs and City Councilman David Della is at noon. The afternoon will be filled with entertainment from the Denny Middle School Jazz Band, Endolyne Children's Choir, La Bande Pastiche, magician Toby Wessel and more. Starbucks will provide free refreshments.

For more information, call the Southwest branch of the Seattle Public Library, 386-4636.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at 932-0300 or tstclair@robinsonnews.com