“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 25 years ago when Rockridge neighbors 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 visitors of all ages.
The original Rockridge branch library opened in 1919, and moved into a storefront at 5701 College Avenue, across from Claremont Junior High, in 1924. That space, now 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.
The library closed in September 1987 because the building needed extensive structural repairs, and the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC) acted quickly to form a Library Committee — first to find a temporary site for what was then the second busiest library in Oakland, and then to find a new permanent home.
With cooperation from OUSD, the Director of Libraries, the Oakland City Manager’s Office, the Department of Public Works and then-Councilperson 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) became even smaller, just 1,400 square feet, with only 1,000 square feet accessible to the public.
Around that time, the Windmuller house at the corner of Manila and College and the adjacent storefront came on the market and was purchased by the City. The neighboring vacant lot, once occupied by the Longo Art Stone and Pottery Works, a manufacturer of ornamental concrete fixtures such as bird baths, statues and fountains (some of these are still seen around the neighborhood), also came up for sale. Although outbid at first, the City ultimately succeeded in acquiring the properties through a combination of eminent domain and purchase with the Merchant Off-Street Parking Fund (which is why the parking at the library is metered).
Money was still needed for construction of the new branch library as well as other enhancements, and Rockridge residents were intensively polled and surveyed through The Rockridge News to determine priorities for the new facility.
The lobbying and fundraising needs of the library project called for a separate institutional structure. Neighbors for a Rockridge Library, led by Nancy Dutcher, was formed, and became the official fundraising and advocacy group, with RCPC acting as fiscal agent. In cooperation with the College Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA), the Neighbors proposed to form a Mello-Roos special assessment district, to levy an annual fee on each residential parcel within designated boundaries in Rockridge.
Volunteers hand-addressed 6,000 letters to residents of the greater Rockridge area, asking if they would consider an increase in their property taxes to fund the local library. Signs were printed and thousands of phone calls made to educate the public on the benefits of the library. Measure L appeared on the ballot in November 1990, and 81.6 percent of voters approved a $25 per year parcel tax for 30 years — far surpassing the required legal threshold of a two-thirds vote.
In October 1991, shortly after the Oakland Hills Firestorm, residents bused to Sacramento for a little “Christmas library shopping.” Wearing Rockridge Library badges sporting colorful flames, they lobbied the State Library Committee for funding. Only 12 applicants out of 48 were approved, and Rockridge was one of them, receiving $2.4 million.
Over the next four years, community involvement determined the footprint of the new facility. Rockridge residents were involved in every step of the process, and Rockridge’s reputation as an “urban village” was solidified. Every conceivable effort was made to raise money for important equipment, and $140,000 was raised to buy books.
They selected architects and chose color schemes, furnishings, books, art and equipment. At the request of the community, a large meeting space that could be divided into two meeting rooms and a dedicated children’s wing were mandated. Unlike many other libraries, Rockridge is designed to allow the community space to remain open while the rest of the library stays securely locked up, allowing for afterhours gatherings.
Construction began at the groundbreaking on February 11, 1995, and the doors officially opened on August 3, 1996, with a well-attended Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremony that included Mayor Elihu Harris, California State Librarian Kevin Starr and City Library administrators.
The diligence and perseverance of all those involved cannot be overstated. Over 100 volunteers put in thousands of hours over a total of 11 years before the doors opened. 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 created something that will continue to serve Oakland and our community long into the future.
