Welcome! Come on in to the newly renovated library!

We were REALLY busy on our opening day!

The children's forest is a beautiful, fun and welcoming area.

There a big beautiful windows bringing in natural sunlight throughout the building.

Recent pictures taken of the library's renovation. We're still on schedule to move back in February.

Sandy Style

Have you been watching the construction progress at the library? It is pretty amazing. This week they have begun to construct the entryway. There are large timbers framing what will be the front door. It is going to be beautiful!

So, have you heard of "Sandy Style"? It is a design standard adopted by the city council in 2008. Our Historical museum is an excellent example of this style, which incorporates elements of Cascadian architecture and Oregon Rustic styles. Many of these design elements will be included in our renovated building. Read more about the design elements of "Sandy Style" and see if you can find them in our new design!

Interesting Information

There is an interesting article in the Oct. 5th edition of the Sandy Post. Rebuilding History is about the Sandy Library building, as remembered by Ed Hoffman. His reminisces are not limited to the library building, he also shares memories about some of our local families, and of other businesses in town.

Did you know that John F. Kennedy spoke at the Sandy High School when he was running for president? Did you know that the "modern" building (which eventually would become the library) garnered honors for the Hoffman brothers, Ruben, Albert and Walter, from the Sandy Post and the community? According to the article: That issue of the newspaper – Nov. 16, 1938 – numbered more than 3,300 distributed copies, which is about the same as today’s circulation.

Its funny how change can get us thinking nostalgically. Take a look at the article! And keep us posted on your questions and comments about the library building remodel.

Walk-through on August 31

I took a walk through the building today. I'd like to share some of the views from the inside. First of all... look what the builders found:

BONES! Don't worry, they aren't human. They must be cow bones. The building used to be a grocery, and I know there was a smoke-house, and I think a butcher too. So I guess their presence shouldn't be too surprising. But they have to be more than 50 years old! Amazing how this kind of project can pique your interest in the history of a place. Here are a couple more pictures from the inside:

This picture shows the new ramp, and it shows the upper mezzanine level which will be used for storage and staff support. The entry into the library is going to open up about half of the upper level on the northwest corner of the building.

Here is another picture from the inside. This is looking towards what used to be our front door. It is going to be part of the children's area when we re-open. I hope you enjoy these pictures. Do you have any early memories about this building? Post to the blog and let us know!

The renovated library is taking shape!

Yesterday, as I walked by the library, I was amazed to see a giant arm sticking out of a cement mixer. The arm then moved out, had a long hose attached, it then swung around to three guys who held the hose in place while the cement dumped out and filled the cement blocks. The giant arm is part of a machine called a Putzmeister. It is German, and I found out that it means "stucco master" You learn something new every day.

Here is a picture of it.

And by the way.... you can actually see that the front entrance is going to be on the NW corner of the building, facing Proctor Blvd. The entry way will be tall and full of light from the skylight overhead.


Its going to be beautiful!!

Library Building History

The Sandy Library building was built to house a market in 1936 by Albert and Ruben Hoffman. They also had a market in Rhododendron. Albert ran the Sandy store, and Ruben ran the store in Rhododendron. During the Depression, the Hoffmans supplied food to a vast area of east county including Zig Zag, High Rock, Bear Springs, Timberline Lodge and fire look-outs and fire fighting crews for the Forest Service.

In 1948 M.G. Scott bought the building and started Sandy's first cash and carry market. I have one very old picture of it then, showing the spire in all its glory. See it at the bottom left side of this page (scroll down)

By the time I moved to Sandy in 1978, the building was sectioned into a Gordon Stone's clothing store, a Hallmark store and a Sear's catalog store.  The city bought it in 1989 for the Library and Police Departments. Shortly after that the Sears store moved out and the South East corner of the building became a Karate studio.

I would love to learn more about the building. What do you remember about this building? Can you supply some history? Do you have any pictures you would like to share?

We'd love to see more pictures!