The newly restored and expanded Albina Library opened to the public July 19. Union labor played a big role in the $55 million project. Members of Plasterers Local 82 in particular took pride in the job because it showcased their skill at matching the ornate plasterwork of their ancestors.
“If there’s a historical building with any kind of ornamental plaster, we can take care of it,” Local 82 business manager Kent Sickles told the Labor Press.
Located at 216 NE Knott Street in Portland, the library first opened in 1912. It was constructed in a style known as Spanish renaissance, and the arches, cornices, and plaster rosettes show the careful craftsmanship of that era. The old 8,000-square-foot building was designated as a historic landmark, so when Multnomah Library got to work on a bond-funded revamp, changes to that part of the library had to pass muster with the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission.
Anderson, the general contractor on the project, chose union-signatory Western Partitions Inc. (WPI) to do the plaster work.
“People don’t know that we can still do that,” said Ray Rask, who served as WPI’s plastering superintendent on the job. “What’s nice is it doesn’t look new. Today’s market doesn’t allow that kind of stuff to be built because of budgets and financials.”
The newly reopened library isn’t just a prettied up and seismically retrofit version of the old one. It also added 22,000 square feet of library and community space, with a structure that features cross-laminated timber. The project reused much of the existing building structure and facades, and it added highly efficient new mechanical and plumbing systems. The roof supports 197 photovoltaic panels. And a partial eco-roof features many species of plants and helps manage rainwater. The building is expected to be LEED Platinum certified.
A THING OF BEAUTY See more photos of the library, both under construction and complete, at the Northwest Labor Press page on Flickr.
NOT ALL UNION Because the Albina Library project was publicly funded, it was required to pay construction workers the prevailing wage — union scale, in other words. But not all the work was done union in the end. To protest general contractor Andersen Construction’s decision to use non-union Prestige Tile, Klinger Masonry, and Skyline Sheet Metal, not one but two giant Inflatable cigar-smoking fatcats showed up outside a July 16 press tour. Put up by members of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts Local 1 and SMART Local 16, the cats hold a moneybag in one paw and the other paw around the neck of a construction worker. “Andersen Construction hires contractors that traditionally do not pay the area wage standards,” said fliers handed out by Local 1.
