San Rafael’s Pickleweed Library redesign takes shape

The Pickleweed Library in San Rafael is getting closer to an overhaul.

Plans to redesign the branch in the Canal neighborhood were unveiled to the Pickleweed Advisory Committee at its meeting on Sept. 12.\The proposed design aims to create a more cohesive space and maximize the 2,000-square-foot area by shrinking the bathrooms and moving the computer room.

In 2022, the city received a $1 million grant from the California State Library Foundation to renovate the branch. The grant requires the city to match the funding with another $1 million, which was allocated from memorial funds donated to the city for library improvements, according to a staff report.

“You know, $2 million sounds like a lot but it doesn’t get you a whole lot when you’re looking at construction,” said Catherine Quffa, the city’s library and recreation director. “So what we are really trying to do with this money is look at the current configuration of the library and how can we improve it to make it flow better, to make it a better experience for the community.”

The San Rafael Public Library has three branches: the downtown building, which opened in 1909; the Pickleweed branch, opened in 2006; and the Northgate mall location, opened in 2018. The Pickleweed branch, which is in the Albert J. Boro Community Center on Canal Street, is a heavily used resource for predominantly Spanish speaking people, according to city staff.

The grant is meant to increase public space, improve accessibility and inclusivity and improve the flow of people entering and exiting. Quffa said the space is dated and the layout inefficient. The bathrooms, specifically, are oversized for the space, she said.

In April, the city hired Jayson Architecture PC, a San Francisco firm, for the project. The firm has been meeting with staff at the library branch regularly to discuss layout and design.

Abe Jayson, a principal with the firm, said the large bathrooms stem from a 2004 building addition that did not include a plumbing reconfiguration.

“In reality they kind of stranded these larger restrooms within a small library,” said Jayson. “So they’re sort of out of scale and that doesn’t really make sense for the use and size of the library.”

The proposed layout would turn the computer center into a children’s room with a glass wall; relocate the public safety station to a corner overlooking the park to improve the entrance; turn the restrooms into two single and gender-neutral stalls; relocate the staff office to a corner; and replace the back wall with windows and a door to create more flow between the indoor and outdoor space.

“We want to look at how we better utilize the space and get rid of what we call kind of superfluous space that’s used for navigating around the building,” Jayson said. “Hallways, extra space that doesn’t really contribute to programs and use.”

The central space will include a technology center, a new books section and a reading area. It also will include study booths to the side. The color palette will be modern white oak wood paneling with neutral carpets, and blue to burgundy accents. The children’s room will be more blue and gray, with orange accents.

“I love the blue in the children’s room,” said Louise Yost, a member of the committee.

Jayson said project planners hope to begin construction on the Pickleweed branch in the fall 2025.