Ortega Branch Library

Pack A Picnic Lunch, Check Out A Book, Sit Yourself Down, and Enjoy The Ocean Breeze On Our Back Patio!

2011-11-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

2011-09-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hope To See You At The New Ortega Library Grand Opening!

September 10, 2011, 11:00 am!

Mini-Ortega Library Has Closed It's Doors. We're Moving Into Our New Library!

2011-08-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

Mini Ortega Libarary Has Closed Its Doors.

We're Moving Into Our New Library!

The New Ortega Library Opens September 10, 2011!

Just Wait 'Til You See Our Beautiful New Library!

San Francisco Public Library Will Provide Bookmobile Service.

Location: Parked Near The Library At 3223 Ortega Street

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 2 - 4:30 pm.

2011-08-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Mini-Ortega Library
Will be closed
Sunday and Monday, August 14 & 15
Due to library & park construction.
Bookmobile Services will be provided
Each day the library is closed from 10:30 - 12:30.
Your reserves will be moved to the Bookmobile
Where you may pick them up during this time.

Your New Book Drop (So much closer to the street, this time around!)

2011-08-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Pouring The Concrete Bases For Our Outdoor Sculptures.

2011-08-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Our Living Roof!

2011-07-27T16:46:00.001-07:00

Photos Courtesy of Brent Lotspeich

Watch! Soon There Will Vines Growing Upon These Trellises.

2011-07-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

Spoiler Alert! Sneak A Peek At Our Gorgeous New Book Shelves!

2011-06-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

Pretty soon these shelves are going to be jam-packed filled with Books & DVD's!

Want To Know What Colors The Outside of Our New Library Will Be?

2011-06-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

White Like the Crest of A Wave
Gray Like The Rolling Fog

And Gold Like the Sun That Is Rarely Seen Around Here!

It's Getting There! This Week, They're Installing The Electrical and The Communication Lines.

2011-06-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

And Here It Is...Our New Guard Rail! Ta Da!

2011-06-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Want To Know Why They're Carving These Little Rectangles Out Of The Retaining Wall?

2011-05-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

They're about to install a guard rail at the top of the wall facing Ortega Street, but there's still work to be done, so the hand painted mural underneath must continue to stay protected.

Wow! Check Out Our Fancy New Indoor Sliding Glass Doors!

2011-05-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

Another Special Delivery! Our Gorgeous Maple Doors Are Here.

2011-05-09T15:37:00.001-07:00

Special Delivery! Our Floor Panels Have Just Arrived!

2011-05-02T12:12:00.001-07:00

They're Spraying The Finishing Coat For the Stucco. Next Comes The Paint Color.

2011-04-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Our Skylights All In A Row, Waiting To be Installed Above The Center Walkway. It Shall Be Grand!

2011-04-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Our Architects' Color Test Patches. We Love It!

2011-04-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Won't Have To Wear Your Warmest Jacket When You Come To The New Ortega Library, That's A Promise!

2011-04-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

We'll Have Heating Coming Up From Beneath The Floor! Our New Ceiling Grids.

Finally, It Stopped Raining! Back to Serious Work On that Retaining Wall!

2011-03-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

Building The Retaining Wall Above Sunset Elementary

2011-03-17T15:09:00.001-07:00

Our Hanging Garden will be planted in this area.

SPOILER ALERTNew Pics From Inside!

2011-03-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

From The Front Door
From The Front Door, Looking Toward The Adult Reading Room

The Teen Study Room

The Children's Room

The Program Room

The Women's Room

The Men's Room

What's New @ Our New Library? Three 10' Glass Doors & Some Wild Flowers!

2011-03-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

Our 2nd Coat of Stucco.

2011-02-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

So Smooth!

Wait 'til you see the 3rd Coat. They're going to tint the stucco with yellow, gray, and off-white. It's going to be gorgeous!

We're getting stuccoed!

2011-02-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

The sand from this silo will turns into stucco when they spray it on the outside of the new library.

2011-02-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

During the upcoming months the West Sunset Park grounds surrounding Ortega Library will undergo major construction work. Our goal is to keep the library open as much as possible throughout this process. However, there may be intermittent periods when the library will be forced to close temporarily, due to dangerous activity or noise level. We'll try our best to notify you in advance, but there may be days when we lock the doors, and a sign quickly goes up, stating, "Library Temporarily Closed." Please bear with us during this exciting time. In the end we're going to have a magnificent new library and a wonderful play area for our children.

It's Coming Along!

2011-01-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

Inside Insulation and Under the Floor Heating.

2010-12-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Here Are The Front Doors You Will Soon Be Entering!

2010-12-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

Inside, Outside The Preschool Corner.

2010-11-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

Look At These Fancy Soffits!

2010-11-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Beneath The Eaves.

2010-10-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

Next Project: Install Beautiful Bright Blue Soffits Beneath the Eaves.

Through The Looking Glass

2010-10-25T11:50:00.001-07:00

Our Window Installation.

Mini-Ortega Library Has Giants Fever!!!

2010-10-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sky Light. Sky Bright. Our Skylights Are In.

2010-10-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Keep Your Fingers Crossed!!!!!

2010-10-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sparks Are Flying! They're Welding The Galvanized Framing For the Eaves Just Outside the Children's Room & Program Room.

2010-09-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Our New Roof With A View.

2010-09-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

That Permeating Smell of Hot Petroleum Is Coming From This.

2010-09-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Looks Like We'll Have A New Roof Before The First Big Rain!

2010-09-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Skylights Are Coming!!!

2010-09-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Say Bye Bye To The Old Back Staircase

2010-09-15T16:20:00.001-07:00

Measure Twice, Cut Once.

2010-09-13T15:03:00.001-07:00

The installation of the plywood sheathing on the eaves outside the Adult Room. Next will come the plywood sheathing for the eaves outside the Program Room.

The Ceiling Insulation Mobile

2010-08-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

When the work is completed, our ceilings will have 9.6" of insulation. That's just enough to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Up On The Roof!

2010-08-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

The Flat Living Roof. Skylights Above The Main Room.

The Sloped Living Roof and Restroom Skylights.

"The Dog House." The Roof Vent For the Heating Unit.

Ocean View From The Adult Reading Room.

2010-08-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

From The Program Room Through To The Childrens' Room

2010-08-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

They Call Us Mellow Yellow! Quite Rightly.

2010-08-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

We're Getting Wired. The Electricity Is Going In.

2010-08-04T14:51:00.001-07:00

They're Working On Our Parapet Roof.

2010-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

A Parapet Roof has a low protective wall or railing along the edge of the roof.

The Outside Of Our New Library Will Become Bright Yellow In The Next Couple of Weeks!

2010-07-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

It's our DensGlass Sheathing, the under layer we're using that will resist the effects of moisture exposure during and after construction.

Our Secret Garden Book Club Tea Party

2010-07-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

The Front Entrance To the New Library

2010-07-01T14:41:00.001-07:00

The Program Room

The Children's Room

The Adult Room

The Teen Room

Good Luck Landed Just Outside the Entrance to the New Library

2010-06-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Reference question for the day: Can you identify what type of bird this is?

Update: According to Wild Care in Marin and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco, this is a Red Tail Hawk, possibly a female.

Lots of Scaffolding and Metal Framing

2010-06-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Metal Framing is less expensive, fire resistant, and termites can't eat it.

The cement floor in our restrooms.

2010-06-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Notice the different level in height between the restrooms and the main floor of the library. The main floor will rise to the height of the restrooms, once the electric wiring, ducts, and heating are in place.

Ingenuity in the Construction Industry

2010-06-17T15:33:00.001-07:00

Notice the front tires of the Cement Pump truck are not touching the ground?

Notice the Concrete Pump truck is being held up by these Outriggers?

Each cubic yard of concrete weighs approximately 3500 pounds. When it flows through the pump, the weight of the concrete is enough to pop the tires or tip the concrete pump on its side. As a safety measure they use the outriggers to prop the pump up and avoid catastrophe.

Our Children's Room Is Getting Walls.

2010-06-17T14:02:00.001-07:00

Sign Up For Summer Reading @ Mini-Ortega!

2010-06-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

This year we have Children, Teen, and Adult Summer Reading Programs.

The Vapor Barrier For the Computer Room and Restrooms

2010-06-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Notice the height level difference between the main rooms and the Computer and Restrooms. Eventually, they will all be the same once the wiring and new flooring materials are installed in the main rooms.

The Outside Plumbing Is Now Under Ground.

2010-06-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

These Metal Studs Will Support the Overhang Facing Ortega Street

2010-06-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

It's Starting To Look Like A Library!

2010-06-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

His & Hers!

2010-06-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Our New Library Will Have 2 Public Restrooms, And The Roof Won't Leak!

2010-06-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

10 Units Of Plywood Are Just Enough To Cover The Rafters.

2010-05-18T11:58:00.001-07:00

Look At Those Beautiful Stem Walls!

2010-05-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today, they're digging trenches along side the new stem walls where they'll soon install the underground plumbing and electricity.

Pouring The Cement For Our Stem Walls

2010-05-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Our new stem walls will serve to join together our foundation and our vertical walls and will provide additional protection against invasive and destructive moisture.

We're About Halfway Finished With The Trusses

2010-05-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Trusses still need to be installed into the Adult/Teen Area.

Every day the workmen hammer away,

reinforcing the trusses from underneath with a combination of

lumber and these metal reinforcers.

The Truss Installation Process Has Begun.

2010-05-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

Each of these rods was carefully measured and

welded by hand into the support beams at the factory.

The trusses are hoisted up between two beams, attached

to the corresponding rods, then securely bolted into position.

Our Open Web Trusses Have Arrived.

2010-04-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Our New Roof!

That's All For Today!

2010-04-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

To compensate for expansion and contraction, they'll pour the cement in 20 foot sections, let it dry, then pour some more. If they'd let us write with a stick in the wet cement, we'd write, "We ♥ Ortega Library!"

It's a 15 Cement Trucks Day!

2010-04-22T09:56:00.001-07:00

Our Adult and Teen Area Floors Are In!

Here Comes The Children's Room Floor!

Have You Been Wondering Why All Those Ribar Posts Are Shaped Like Candy Canes?

2010-04-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

They're bent in candy cane fashion as a safety measure to protect workers from getting seriously injured.

Before they pour the next phase of concrete, they will mark the spot on the ribar where it should be cut, and then they will cut it.

This finished ribar is now ready to be covered with concrete.

These Cute Little Grey Bricks Are Called "Dobies."

2010-04-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

Dobies are used to keep the ribar in place when the concrete is poured.

There Will Be No Water Seeping Up Into Our Floors!

2010-04-19T09:59:00.001-07:00

We've got 9,000 sq. ft. of Vapor Barrier!

Our Capillary Water Barrier

2010-04-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

First, they cover the entire space with crushed rock, then they place sheets of plastic vapor retarder over the rock. Next, they'll pour the cement floor.

9,000 Square Feet With An Ocean View!

2010-04-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

New Ortega Library Fish Sculpture In Progress

2010-03-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Metal artist Kevin Cherry fabricates the steel substructures for our fish sculptures

With minor revisions, the San Francisco Arts Commission has finally approved our clay/wood models of fish sculptures for the new, Ortega Branch of the San Francisco Public Library, and we are rapidly proceeding with full scale fabrication. Using templates generated from sections of the models, we had discs cut from plate steel, and steel tubes bent to form the ’spines’ of the two fish sculptures. We’ve hired Sonoma-based metal artist Kevin Cherry of Steel Cherry to fabricate the welded steel substructure, which will be hot dip galvanized once the longitudinal stringers are in place, before we ’skin’ the skeleton with fiberglass mesh, impregnated with a cementitious resin.

Petaluma, CA based Van Bebber Brothers bent the 4″d steel tube ‘fish spines’

Looks Like We're Making Progress.

2010-03-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

BAM! BAM! BAM!

2010-03-22T11:35:00.001-07:00

POUNDING, BANGING, KNOCKING, CLANKING, and Welding.

Wow!

2010-03-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

Our Structural Steel Columns Are In.

2010-03-09T16:41:00.000-08:00

Wondering What They're Doing With That Kiddie Swimming Pool?

2010-02-25T14:44:00.000-08:00

After they finish pouring the cement, they wash out the truck's hopper and drain the leftover cement mixture into these pools.

When it dries, they'll take the concrete leftovers back to the yard where they'll crush it and smash it until it turns into cement again.

No, We Do Not Have A Giant Gopher!

2010-02-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

We Have A Lot Of Foundation Work That Needs To Be Done! Our New Library Will Be Twice The Size Of Our Old Library.

Pouring A Foundation Is Not As Easy As It Looks!

2010-02-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

The Steel Supports are now in place in the Concrete Forms.

2010-02-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

According to our Site Supervisor, "If Mother Nature is willing and the creek don't rise, we'll be pouring the concrete tomorrow!"

These are the ribar reinfrocements that will be placed down into the concrete molds and covered with concrete.

2010-02-09T16:53:00.001-08:00

Once the ribar is covered with concrete, you'll never see it again.

Placing the concrete forms into the holes.

2010-02-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

Here Comes the Cement Foundation!

2010-02-02T15:05:00.001-08:00

All the holes have been dug. The next step is to level the surface. Then they're going to pour the concrete foundation.

2010-01-28T16:19:00.001-08:00

These are concrete forms they'll be using when they pour the foundation .

Can't Dig Holes When It's Raining...Only 6 more to drill.

2010-01-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

Pouring the Cement

2010-01-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

First, the cement goes

into the hopper.

Then it is directed up into the boom.

Then down it shoots into the hole.

These steel reinforcement cages will be inserted into the 20-30 foot holes

2010-01-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

Measuring 20-30 feet

2010-01-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

The Pier Drill drills down 20-30 feet

2010-01-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

The Pier Layout

2009-12-30T13:30:00.001-08:00

In With The New Sewer Pipe

2009-12-23T13:32:00.000-08:00

Out with the old sewer pipes

2009-12-23T13:31:00.001-08:00