Contacts:
Mark B. Evans, Pima County Communications Director
mark.b.evans@pima.gov, 520-724-3334
Holly Schaffer, Pima County Public Library Community Relations Manager
holly.schaffer@pima.gov, (520) 594-5610
(Tucson, AZ) The Pima County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting June 3 secured the future for the downtown main Public Library by approving the purchase of the former Wells Fargo building, 150 N. Stone Ave., across the street from the existing Joel D. Valdez Library, which serves as the anchor library and headquarters of the public library system.
The County has been wrestling for several years about how to address mounting problems with the aging downtown Valdez Library, which was built by the city of Tucson in 1990. County experts estimate the downtown library needs nearly $90 million in renovations and repairs. Changes in how the public uses libraries also means the County doesn’t need a building as large as Valdez, which is more than 90,000 square feet.
After nine months of discussions with the Library Advisory Board and other public outreach efforts to explore solutions for the Valdez Library, the County investigated the possibility of acquiring the roughly 50,000-square-foot Wells Fargo bank building, and two ancillary buildings and adjacent parking garage, as a replacement. Wells Fargo moved out of the buildings in 2022.
The Board Tuesday voted 4-1 to spend $6.2 million to enter into a purchase agreement for the building complex. The County will now spend up to 60 days thoroughly evaluating the buildings and doing an environmental assessment before completing the sale. Preliminary estimates on the cost of renovating the building to serve as the new library are about $24 million, which is far less than the $86 million estimated to update the existing library, County leaders said. The bank building was built in 1957 and has undergone several renovations over the years.
“Acquiring the Wells Fargo building complex potentially solves many problems for the County and the Library system. The Valdez Library is more than just a lending library and administrative headquarters. It’s a community gathering space, a resource provider, a jobs center, a communications hub, a learning center, and a place of respite. It is essential to the life and vitality of downtown Tucson, and it was essential for the Board to preserve that and do it in a way that was financially responsible and respectful to County taxpayers,” Board Chair Rex Scott said.
Project Design and Construction Department Deputy Director Martyn Klell in a May 28 memo to County Administrator Jan Lesher wrote that the Department believed acquiring the Wells Fargo building was the more cost-effective solution to keeping the library downtown.
“The recommendation to acquire and renovate the former Wells Fargo building at 150 North Stone, and the other associated structures, represents a forward-thinking, fiscally responsible, and community-centered solution to address the longstanding challenges of the current Joel D. Valdez Main Library facility. This approach not only preserves the Library District's critical presence in the heart of downtown Tucson, but also enhances our ability to deliver modern, accessible, and expanded library services,” Klell wrote.
With the completion of the purchase, the County will engage with the community on envisioning Library services and programs at the new location and incorporate them into the renovation plans the new library building complex.
The Valdez Library, its underground garage, and the Jacome Plaza are owned by the City of Tucson. The County and City are in discussions about the future of the Plaza and the library building once the County completes the move across the street.