Work could begin in the coming months to overhaul the former Leonardo into offices for Salt Lake City staff.
City officials recently filed a commercial building permit application to remodel parts of the old library building and prepare it to house offices for multiple city departments, according to the permit application filed Sept. 23.
The permit says the redevelopment, “includes the renovation of the three above-grade floors, to house Youth Services staff and programming on the 1st and 2nd floors, and staff from multiple divisions on the 3rd floor.”
It further says most of the work would take place on the second floor — which would house Youth Services, programming and classrooms — and the third floor, which would include city offices and support spaces.
Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesman for the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, told Building Salt Lake the building permit filed last week pertains to the third floor remodel. That floor will house offices for the city’s Sustainability, Public Lands and Planning and Design divisions, as well as space for Architecture and Construction Management teams.
As of now, the city hopes to start construction in November and move city employees into the office by April, Wittenberg told BSL. He added the funds for the renovation would not come from the city’s general fund, but rather from interest income from a bond.
Details listed in the permit show the total work area is around 30,000 square feet, as the building’s total square footage is around 110,000. The job value for the remodel is estimated to be around $2.8 million.
The idea of remodeling the former Leonardo museum was first announced by Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall earlier this year. Back in January, Mendenhall said the first floor would have after school programs and keep Ken Sanders Rare Books. Details in the building permit seem to be in line with that notion.
While giving her State of the City address in the Leonardo, Mendenhall said she wants the building to be one element of what she called the city’s, “Civic Center.”
She said the city planned on connecting Library Square with Washington Square across 200 East, and adding city offices to the area was part of the plan. She described the former Leonardo “City Hall East” during her address.
The Leonardo was officially closed last September, as the museum had been closed temporarily for repairs and updates in the months prior. The building, which used to house the city’s library, is located on the same parcel as the main Salt Lake City Library, which consists of an entire city block and 9.76 acres.
Editor’s Note: This story initially misspelled the name of Ken Sanders Rare Books. That has since been updated.
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