(Pic taken with my Sardina 35mm film camera. Nothing beats film, sorry, no offense)
The Tulsa City County Library just shut down their Central Library for a two year renovation at a cost near $50 million. Now, they don’t have that money in hand but they are hoping that they get it. Personally, the hope method of raising money has never worked out very well for me. But what do I know!
(The grocery store closed in the early 90’s. I was witnessed a tug of war in the parking lot between a store employee and a customer pushing and pulling on a roast. Finally the customer gave up and jumped into a getaway care took off. Stuff like that is why they used to call the store the “UnSafeway.”)
To provide downtown users a library, they renovated an old Safeway Grocery store and loaded it full of books, computers, and lots of places to sit. They call it the Librarium.
(I took this pic before I went in the Librarium for the very first time. That is when I found out that there is a long bar along with window with stools for work stations. Everybody was looking at me.)
I think it works very well. It is a large open, well lit, space with a great feel to it. It is a little bit of a walk to it but not bad especially since the weather is turning cooler.
(Don’t ask me how I know but it is impossible to disengage those dang ipads from the mounts. Take my word for it.)
It even has an “Ipod Lounge!” Reader Bill aka “The Tulsa Gentleman” tells me that Leon Russell used to work at this Safeway way back when. (I don’t hear any questions about who Leon Russsell is.)
Anyway I’ll be spending a lot of time at the Librarium for the next two years.
This is the old Safeway where Leon Russell worked as a boy in high school.
That looks like a great library and for that amount of money it should be a great library!!
Interesting name: Librarium.
The old grocery store could be a very good fit – and maybe after two years, they will stay for another two years….
When I saw the name “Librarium” I thought perhaps it was founded by the Romans. Perfect use of an old Safeway store. Hope the money for it comes in.
It looks like a pretty darn nice stopgap while they “hope”….
I love libraries (and I’m sure I’d love a librarium) …it always surprises me nowadays to see so much of them devoted to computers….I don’t know why it surprises me… I read and I use computers … but somehow it never fails to astound me when I see the crowds at the library computer.
“Safeway”–branding aside–is a great name for a library! I like it. It brings to mind that new verb, repurposing.
That is an interesting alternative.
I love that big front window!
I’ve not heard of a librarium before, but I rather like the word.
Great use for a vacant building!
Leon Russell…been a long time since I’ve heard any of his music.
Visiting from Signs, Signs.
~Lindy
I like the word ‘librarium’.
I rather like the word “librarium” as against library.
Classical building!
what a great use for an old grocery store! i am laughing at you taking a photo while everyone watches from the inside 😉
hee hee…
As soon as «Louis» saw the sign frame (and before he saw the rest of the photos) he KNEW that was a recycled Safeway! Safeway built hundreds of stores with that type of roof in the ’60s. The first one in that style was the Marina store in San Francisco in 1959. From it, all the Safeways built in that style were known by the company as “Marina-style” stores. The setting for the Marina store in San Francisco is spectacular as it looks across the marina to the Golden Gate Bridge. These stores had high roofs and let a lot of light in, their design influenced by the builder Eichler in California.
Here’s one shot of the Marina Safeway and here’s another of the mosaics on the side of the store depicting California agriculture. On a visit to the U.S., Nikita Kruschev, visited the Marina Safeway.
hooray for them and you
what a great idea for a library. Bet there is lots of light in addition to all of the space. Librarium is an interesting name for it.