DEL.ICIO.USTo get library's land, developer offers to build replica
Fulton commission interested in $24 million bid for Buckhead branch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/22/08
Streets of Buckhead developer Ben Carter hasn't given up on acquiring the architecturally adventurous library on Buckhead Avenue.
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His latest offer is to build a copy of the internationally acclaimed building at the northeast corner of East Paces Ferry Road and Maple Drive, several blocks from its current site.
"Most of the commentary was not over having a new library, it was that building," Carter said. "There seems to be more opposition to losing that architecture than the functionality of the library."
The alternative site, just under 2 acres, is east of the $1.5 billion Streets of Buckhead project, which covers eight blocks. Carter said he doesn't own the corner lot but the owner is willing to sell.
Carter has offered about $24 million for the existing library because he considers it in the way of his project. He said that's more than enough money for the land, construction and furnishings at a new library.
The Fulton County Commission approved a resolution Wednesday that directs staff members to analyze Carter's proposal. The county commission will hear their recommendation next month.
"Is an offer of $300-a-square-foot worth taking a look at?" Commissioner Tom Lowe asked in an interview. "I say yes." Lowe, who once called the library "an abortion the day it was dedicated," offered the resolution.
"Ben told me, 'Hell, I'll build the same damn library at the other site,' " Lowe said. But with $24 million, Lowe added, the county could build "a bigger, fancier library."
"It's time to get rid of the emotion and look at it in the light of day as a business proposition," he said.
Designed by Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam, the library is distinctive for its black slate tiles and jutting angles. It's been dubbed a "slate dragonfly." Architectural students make pilgrimages to Atlanta to study the building, which opened in 1989.
John Szabo, the library system director, said it's doubtful $24 million is enough to build a new library in pricey Buckhead.
"I don't think creating a duplicate library would in any way ease the concerns of those who want to preserve the existing building," Szabo said. "I don't think that is their point."
The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library trustees recommended spending $1.9 million to renovate the library but not change its look.
After Carter's offer to buy the library site became public in February, defenders of the building, many of them architects, demonstrated and launched petition drives.
"I'm not going to go against what their desire is," John Eaves, county commission chairman and library trustee, said Tuesday.
In voting against Carter's offer in February, trustees opposed the idea of sharing a building, defended the library's unusual look and worried new construction would be too costly. The vote was 8-0, with two abstentions, one of which was Eaves'.
Carter wants the library land because it's in the midst of his high-end project. He called the building "a gap in the experience" at his future shopping mecca.
Now under construction along Peachtree Street, Streets of Buckhead will transform what used to be a rowdy party area. Boutiques, restaurants and apartments are planned, and condominiums, offices and hotel rooms might be part of the mix later.
Scogin laughed when he was told about the duplicate-library plan.
"You've got to be kidding," he said. "Doesn't he understand that building is specific to that site? All of its form is about that site." The library sits on a rise and offers a view of Atlanta's skyline.
"The site is what the public has a privilege to. That's the issue," Scogin said. "It's in the middle of the community. It's at the high point."
The Buckhead library should be treated no less than any other government building, he said. "Capital buildings are at the center of things. They're not off to the side so you can build some kind of shopping center or something," Scogin said.
But Lowe argued "the other site's better." If the library stays put, he said, it eventually will be "in a hole," hemmed in by retail.
Initially Carter offered to put the library in a new mixed-use building at the Streets of Buckhead; then he suggested two nearby sites where a standalone library could go.
Commissioners must approve the library facility master plan by July in order to seek voter approval of bond funding in November. Currently, that bond amount is $227 million, which includes building eight new libraries.
The Buckhead branch is not among them. At least not yet.
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