At the moment, gaping pits, mounds of earth, shattered concrete and the rumble of heavy machinery greet visitors to the older areas of the library. They will also install bracing to tie the large beams together in pairs. Photo by Kathy Sauber. Floors above the ground level have been torn out. Parts of the interior walls have been chiseled away, revealing bricks, masonry blocks and the library's bare steel skeleton.
Stained glass is covered and sections of the sandstone floor have been sawed out and removed.
All of the library materials moved out of the older sections during construction are still available in the 1963 wing, which will be seismically refitted toward the end of the project. The impetus behind the current chaos is safety. A 1991 survey of campus buildings awarded the Suzzallo the dubious distinction of being among the top structures at risk of major structural damage and loss of life in the event of a big temblor. The Legislature funded the project for the 1999-2001 biennium. One of the Suzzallo's major seismic vulnerabilities lies in the use of masonry that isn't reinforced to help stiffen the structure's steel frame - a common practice in the 1920s and '30s, Roeder said.