The transformation of the old Pacific Beach Library into a new community arts center is underway.
A groundbreaking celebration for the renovation of the former library is set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, in the outdoor commons area.
The groundbreaking ceremony will include music and light refreshments, recognition of major donors, remarks from elected officials, community leaders and community partners, along with hard hat tours of the project’s ongoing indoor remodel.
The community arts project represents a new chapter for a familiar community landmark. The former library building is morphing into a center designed to support and celebrate the arts while creating new opportunities for the beach community to learn, create and perform.
The renovation effort is spearheaded by beautifulPB, a grassroots group committed to building a more sustainable and equitable community by promoting arts, mobility and green space.
The group’s latest mission is to turn the former library building, a 1950s mid-century modern structure, into the home base and gateway for a proposed Pacific Beach Arts District. Pacific Beach’s old library operated there from 1951 to 1997 before moving to Cass St.
The vision for the new Pacific Beach Arts Center is for it to become an accessible, affordable destination for arts, culture, creativity and wellness. Through classes, workshops, exhibitions, performances and community events, it aims to provide opportunities for people of all ages to learn, create and thrive through the arts.
Re-imagining the new arts center and bringing it to life is a tall task, noted beautifulPB members Chris Olson, Jennifer Nowak and Jennifer Tandy.
“San Diego Unified School District used it for various purposes as a resource center, for storage, etc.,” said Tandy, co-chair of PB Arts Center Philanthropy Committee.
She added, “Our entire capital campaign is $1.25 million. That’s the whole package. We’ve gotten to about the halfway point, so we’ve met our Phase 1 funding goal, which is to get this building habitable.”
BeautifulPB’s co-founder, Chris Olson, said just getting the building to a functional and habitable place was no easy task.
“Heating, air conditioning, painting, some minor plumbing and electrical,” said Olson about first-phase building improvements. “The point of phase one, half of $600,000 in funding, is to get us in the building so we can start using it. That’s what we’re working on now, to get us into the space.”
Concerning the timeline for Phase1 building construction, Olson said, “We hope to have all this done by the end of the year, so that in 2027 we can start doing programming.”
The second phase of the building’s rehab is “to do more enhanced capabilities like pottery, putting in a kiln and building out the kitchen,” said Olson.
“Every single thing that has happened to this point has been volunteer-based,” said Nowak, chair of PB Arts Center Steering Committee. “We’re now getting to the part where we need to start serious programming and see what we really are going to do with the building?”
Added Nowak: “All the community groups can meet here. There are things we can start to slowly phase in as we move along.”
BeautifulPB is presently conducting a community survey asking residents to prioritize what they’d like to see in the new arts center, which is available at pbartscenter.org. “We’re continuing to get input from the community from kids and adults,” said Tandy.
“Partnerships with our businesses are going to be really important as we move along too,” pointed out Nowak.
“Everything’s possible,” said Tandy, adding there’s a more important question to be answered with the new center’s renovation. “What is feasible?” she asked. “What is sustainable? We’re working through all of that.”
“It’s all about making it available for everyone,” concluded Olson.
