The Salt Lake City Main Library is an architectural gem … and sort of a sieve.
Since it opened two decades ago, the library has had rave reviews for its spectacular design. It’s also been taking on water. “There have always been some leaks,” said Quinn McQueen, the library system’s director of marketing and communications. “Just small ones here and there that, over the years, have gotten a bit more serious.”
Library staffers have grown accustomed to putting buckets or wastebaskets out on the fifth floor when it rains or snows.
In an effort to stop the leaks, the rooftop is being pulled up and a new waterproofing system is being installed. But the project, budgeted at $7.9 million, has become so much more than just a new roof. Library officials realized it’s an opportunity to rethink and remodel the rooftop.
(Salt Lake City Public Library System) This artist's rendering shows what the roof of Salt Lake City's Main Library will look like after repairs and remodeling. This will be the first remodel of the rooftop since the iconic building opened two decades ago.
When it reopens, it will be cooler than ever — both figuratively and literally. Admission will remain free, as will the panoramic views of Salt Lake City, but there will be major improvements to the design.
Fixing the leaks
About five years ago, parts of the roof were opened up and additional waterproofing was laid down. It stopped some, but not all, of the leaks. “We found that there were just too many cracks and crevices,” McQueen said. “We weren’t able to find the specific spots that were leading to these weird little leaks.”
It’s not like all the leaks were directly over the spots where water dripped into the fifth floor. In some cases, the water traveled a considerable distance. Thus, the search for a solution and a new roof.
“It is, obviously, an architectural wonder,” McQueen said. “And so it’s not as simple as just calling your neighborhood roofer.”
The roof deck will be pulled up and a “highly durable asphalt rubberized waterproofing system” will be installed. It will include an “advanced electronic leak detection system” that will pinpoint any possible future leaks.
According to McQueen, the new waterproofing has been in use on various buildings for more than 30 years, and there have been no instances of failure. “It is supposed to be good for at least 40 years, if not upwards of 50 or 60 years,” she said. “We want to make sure that we’re providing a space that works for a lot of different uses, while keeping it open and free to the public.”
(Salt Lake City Public Library System) This artist's rendering shows what the roof of Salt Lake City's Main Library will look like after repairs and remodeling. More trees providing much-needed shade are a big element of the facelift.
Cooling things off
In the planning stages, the library solicited public input on what improvements they would like to see, and “the big complaint that we heard was that the existing roof was really, really hot,” McQueen said. “So we’ve really focused on creating shade.”
When it reopens, the roof will feature canvas sails — sort of like those at Real Salt Lake’s America First Field in Sandy. There will be tables with permanent umbrellas. “And we are going to be craning trees up there,” McQueen said.
(One big crane will lift another onto the roof.)
And some oddities will be corrected — like benches placed on ramps, so anyone sitting on them tilted to one side. “Silly stuff like that,” McQueen said. “It’s, like, ‘OK — what have we learned in the past 20 years? What have we heard from our patrons?’”
Library officials initially envisioned “more of an event space. … But what we found is that our community really wants the roof to be a place for them to come and spend a lot of time,” she said.
When it reopens, the rooftop will be able to host everything from fundraisers to weddings. But that will be secondary to creating an area where people can come and hang out. “We tailored it to be more for folks just to use day-to-day,” McQueen said.
(Salt Lake City Public Library System) This artist's rendering shows what the roof of Salt Lake City's Main Library will look like after repairs and remodeling. Plans include making the space available for weddings and other special events.
In the plans
The rooftop will also feature solar panels, turf, a tiered seating area, tables where visitors can sit down and work on their laptops, and “instructional glass” displays telling people what mountain, building or other landmark they are looking at.
There will be a children’s play area that includes “kind of a rubber thing that they can run over,” McQueen said. “It’s kind of wavy, so kids can just bounce around and have a good time.”
And honeybees — which first moved to the library’s roof in 2010 — will be making a comeback. “We have a beekeeper on staff who has been taking care of them during all of this construction,” McQueen said, “and they will have their permanent home back on the roof. Which is fun because the public can see the bees and learn about bees. They’re our unofficial mascot at Main.
“And we’re hoping that we can have some concerts out there as well.”
(Salt Lake City Public Library System) This artist's rendering shows what the roof of Salt Lake City's Main Library will look like after repairs and remodeling. More comfortable seating and shade are in the blueprints.
Saving up
The library rooftop is closed to patrons while repairs and remodeling are underway. The building’s west entrance (along 200 East) also is closed. The fifth floor will be shut down as ceilings are removed to install new drains, supply lines, electrical system and structural steelwork.
Some areas of the fourth floor will be closed “periodically,” according to the library, and there will be times when the entire building will have to close because of construction.
Planning for this project has been underway for years. And the library has been “saving up,” McQueen said, setting aside funds for the past three years. The $7.9 million budget is for both the waterproofing and for the improvements. That total is about 9% of the original cost to build the library — $84 million.
(The project is unrelated to emergency repairs necessitated by a “critical failure” of the building’s main sewer line earlier this year. The library was closed from Jan. 19-Feb. 4.)
The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2024. “That is our hope. But you know how construction is,” McQueen said. “I mean, we want it to be open as soon as possible.”
