Thirty Years Ago, Rockridge Built a Library

“Rockridge is the only community in the nation to finance and drive to completion the building of a local library.”
—Kevin Starr, California State Librarian (September 1996)

The above statement is as true today as it was in 1996 when Rockridge residents raised $3.5 million to build a 15,000 square foot library with two large community meeting rooms and approximately 75,000 books, CDs, DVDs, audio books, video games, magazines and newspapers—for all ages.

Check it out! A Party 30 Years in the Making
The Friends of the Rockridge Library (FORL) and branch staff are organizing a community celebration on:
Sept 19 from 11am-2pm
Featuring activities for all ages, the “Check it out!” party will be held at the library in honor of the 30th anniversary of the location.
(click here for more information)

The Rockridge Branch Library first opened in 1919 and moved into a storefront at 5701 College Avenue across from Claremont Junior High (now called Claremont Middle School) in 1924, at the corner of College and Miles. That location, now occupied by Ain’t Normal Cafe, ran the length of the building from its College Avenue frontage down Miles. This small library served the community for 63 years in this location.

In 1987, the City of Oakland was offered the opportunity to buy the building, but declined. The building did change hands however, so the city continued to pay the rent at $550 for nine months. Unfortunately, the library was forced to close later that same year; dry rot had caused the building to sink several inches, necessitating extensive repairs to maintain its structural integrity.

Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC) quickly formed a Library Committee to find a temporary site for what was then the second busiest library in Oakland. With cooperation from OUSD, the Director of Libraries, the Oakland City Manager’s Office, the Department of Public Works, and then Councilmember Marge Gibson Haskell, a double-wide portable was placed on the grounds of Claremont Middle School, at the corner of College and Birch Court.

In these temporary accommodations, the already small library—1,731 square feet—was reduced to just 1,400 square feet, with only 1,000 square feet accessible to the public. The situation spurred the Library Committee, led by RCPC board member Nancy Dutcher, who had lived in Rockridge since the age of four, to organize a new volunteer group, Neighbors for a Rockridge Library, bringing together residents and merchants.

The group took on the job of advocating for a permanent library on College Avenue and raising the money needed to make it happen. RCPC served as its fiscal agent, while the College Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA) worked with the group to establish a Mello-Roos special tax district that levied an annual fee on residential parcels within designated Rockridge boundaries to help fund the project.

At the corner of Manila and College, the Windmuller house and adjacent storefront came on the market and were purchased by the City. The neighboring property also came on the market. It had a large Victorian house set back from College Avenue, with a large open yard in the front which was once occupied by the Longo Art Stone and Pottery Works, a manufacturer of ornamental concrete fixtures such as bird baths, statues and fountains. In its effort to buy the property, the City was at first outbid by a developer; but ultimately succeeded in acquiring the property through eminent domain.

The Longo family (pictured above) migrated from the province of Liguria in Italy to work in the local quarry. Many of their statues and fountains can still be found in Rockridge backyards.

The funds to purchase the two properties came from merchant off-street parking fees, which is why the parking at the library is metered today. Councilmember Haskell was instrumental in getting that going, but the entire community became part of the process, as yet more funding was needed for construction, furnishings, expansion of the collections, and other enhancements.

None of the volunteers had run a political campaign. They hand-addressed 6,000 letters to residents asking if they would consider an increase in their property taxes to fund the local library. Within a month, $10,000 in donations came in, $8,000 of which was used for the election campaign.

Signs were printed and thousands of phone calls made to educate the public on the benefits of the library. Measure L (‘L’ for library) appeared on the November 1990 ballot and passed with 81.6% within the assessment district—approving a $25 per year parcel tax for 30 years—far surpassing the legal threshold of 66% plus one vote.

With initial funding secured and strong neighborhood support established, volunteers sought additional state funding with the help of State Senator Nicholas C. Petris and his aide, Paul Bradford Onorato, who advocated for the project before the Library Funds Selection Committee.

In 1991, Rockridge competed for a Prop. 85 grant to help fund construction of the new library, with the state covering two-thirds and local funds the remainder. Although the Rockridge proposal initially ranked low, residents rallied. After the Oakland Hills Firestorm, they traveled by bus to Sacramento to lobby the State Library Committee. Wearing colorful flame badges designed by Dutcher, they lobbied successfully for Rockridge, one of just 12 of 48 applicants whose projects were approved, receiving $2.4 million in early 1992.

Groundbreaking Begins—Time to Design

With the location and funding secured, the library broke ground in early 1995.

Rockridge residents were intensively polled and surveyed through the Rockridge News to determine priorities for the new facility. Over the next four years, community involvement determined the footprint, selected the architects, and chose color schemes, furnishings, books, art, and equipment.

The architectural team included Anna Murch, in collaboration with Marquis and Associates. Together, they created a distinctive window treatment that became a defining feature of the library’s façade, including twelve bay windows in the interior. Murch also designed the entryway trellis and collaborated on the landscape design (the project was part of Oakland’s Public Art Program, established by the City Council in 1989).

“Bowed windows of textured and iridescent glass, window seats within those windows, trellises with wisteria, and skylights along the roof peak are all elements that will be incorporated into the new Rockridge Branch Library,” commented Nancy Dutcher when describing the approved design. “This will provide a varying pattern and color on the interior of the building as the sunlight changes during the day.”

At the request of the community, they planned for a large community meeting space that could be divided into two meeting rooms, as well as a dedicated children’s wing.

More than a hundred Rockridge residents were involved in every step of the process—urban and city planners, architects, designers, avid readers, marketing specialists, plus many gifted artists and individuals gave freely of their skills and talents. In the process, lasting friendships were formed, and Rockridge’s reputation as an “urban village” was solidified.

Planning for the Future

Over the next four years, community involvement determined the footprint of the new facility, selected the architects, and chose color schemes, furnishings, books, art and equipment.  At the request of the community, a large community meeting space which could be divided into two meeting rooms, and a dedicated children’s wing were mandated.

The library was designed with future needs in mind, including keeping access under the floors for new wiring, and creating a structure that could accommodate second-floor expansion. Although air conditioning was initially unaffordable, the infrastructure was designed to allow it to be added later.

One of the Community Room’s greatest benefits was its ability to host nighttime events, including RCPC Town Halls and Greater Rockridge Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) meetings. The  space was specifically designed to be able to remain open for community use after hours while the rest of the library was securely locked.

Every conceivable effort was made to raise money for needed equipment, and $140,000 was eventually raised to buy books. Many local merchants helped raise money by donating food and material for fundraising events. Allison Reid and John Evans, founders of Diesel Books, worked tirelessly to source free and low-cost books for the library. Great Harvest Bread Company, J. Wiggins Fine Foods, Rockridge Café, and Market Hall all assisted with the project. Money was raised through the sale of granite tiles on the library entry floor and the covered walkway by the parking lot.

Engraved with family names, names of parents and grandparents, faithful pets, and pithy sayings, the tiles are a mini-history of the neighborhood. Local artist Gerta Farber painted and donated a wonderful watercolor of the library that was turned into limited-edition prints and postcards.

Groundbreaking took place on February 11, 1995
Doors officially opened on August 3, 1996

About 4,000 people came to the Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremony, with presentations by many dignitaries including Mayor Elihu Harris, California State Librarian Kevin Starr, and City Library administrators.

“On the day we opened, it was a huge party. We knew people in the neighborhood were excited, but the number of people that showed up that day was overwhelming! We started with speeches in the parking lot, and then officially opened the front doors to a surging crowd of people,” recalls Erica Siskind, Children’s Librarian at the Rockridge Branch

The Friends of the Rockridge Library (FORL) was formed to succeed the former Neighbors for a Rockridge Library. FORL contributed $50,000 for children’s books, and the general collection expanded as well—the shelves began to fill up.

Later, in 2011, the library’s collections underwent another major expansion when RCPC fiscally sponsored the Rockridge DVD Project, which added 2,877 DVDs, doubling the existing collection.

The diligence and perseverance of all those involved cannot be overstated. Over 100 volunteers put in thousands of hours over nine years before the doors opened in late 1996. The willingness of the community to come together and offer their time, energy, and money, plus the leadership of RCPC and a handful of very dedicated individuals worked together to create something that will continue to serve our community long into the future.

Friends of the Rockridge Library was formed in 1996, soon after the Rockridge branch moved to its current location on College Avenue. FORL is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) that funds library materials, programs, and facility improvements not covered by the City of Oakland budget—free and open to all. In honor of the 30th anniversary, Friends of the Rockridge Library has launched a “$30 for 30” campaign:

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to “$30 for 30” campaign
rockridgefriends.org/30-years

Special thanks to John Gussman, and to Jennifer Vetter and Bernie Baltaxe whose Tenth Anniversary articles were freely sampled to write this article.