Foundation work beneath Pasadena's Central Library is more than halfway done, and crews have started preparing the main floor for seismic reinforcement, the city reported Thursday, Aug. 20.

Tim McDonald, director of libraries and information services, said in the City Manager's weekly newsletter that construction on the $186 million retrofit is progressing steadily. More than half the basement has now seen completed rebar installation, shotcrete pouring, vapor barrier laying, electrical floor box installation, concrete slab pours and underground plumbing.

On the main floor, preparation work on the brick walls has begun as reinforcement progresses upward from below.

The project remains on schedule, the city said. Completion is targeted for summer 2028.

What residents are paying

Pasadena voters approved Measure PL in November 2024, authorizing $195 million in general obligation bonds for the retrofit and renovation. The city estimated the cost at about $12 million annually over 30 years, averaging $19.61 per $100,000 of assessed property value. Two state grants totaling $9 million have also been secured, and the city has applied for two more worth up to $10 million each.

The City Council approved a Phase 2 construction contract with PCL Construction Services on March 2, setting a guaranteed maximum price of $186,186,155.

Five years closed

The 1927 Mediterranean Revival building, designed by architect Myron Hunt, closed May 3, 2021, after engineers found its unreinforced masonry did not meet modern earthquake safety standards. The deficiency surfaced during an April 2021 inspection tied to the building's approaching centennial.

Before closing, the library served more than 1,000 daily visitors, housed over 300,000 items and hosted nearly 900 community meetings and events a year. Digital circulation has jumped 37% during the closure, rising from 52,511 eBook and eAudiobook checkouts in fiscal year 2022 to 72,106 in fiscal year 2026, according to Pasadena Now. The city leased the vacant Jefferson School to maintain children's and teen library services.

"This library reflects who we are as a community," Mayor Victor M. Gordo said at the December 2025 groundbreaking, which drew about 150 people.

Protecting the details

Crews have taken care to preserve the nearly century-old building's character. Roof tiles above the Great Hall are being removed one by one, washed and stored at an off-site warehouse for later reinstallation, Colorado Boulevard reported. Interior scaffolding in the courtyard was secured to the portico roofline and the higher roofline rather than anchored to exterior walls, protecting the building's intricate carved stonework.