Ron's Log

« Bouchee Cafe & Deli | Main | Let It Snow Film »

June 26, 2021

Today was the grand opening of the new Desert Hot Springs Public Library at Park Lane and Palm Drive. Let's get the one negative out of the way.

Here's how it looks from the sidewalk on Palm Drive if you approach from the north. Very nice. But there is no walkway from Palm Drive to the library. The ground slopes and is covered with loose landscaping rock. You could continue to Park Lane, take a left there, walking around the south side, then the east to come back to this northern side where the entrance is. Or, you could take the obvious shortcut, this sidewalk to the county building next door:

But that sidewalk only goes to the entrance of the county building. To get to the library you have to walk across the parking lot and driveway. There are no curb cuts there, so if you need a curb cut, you'll have to bear left to get to the curb cut on the east side of the building where the parking lot is.

Looking back from the library entrance toward the county building. Fine for cars. Not so fine for those on foot or in wheelchairs.

If you want to avoid walking in the driveway, you'll have to travel 270° around the building, where you will be presented with this face:

This, then, is the face the library presents to almost everyone arriving by vehicle or on foot or wheelchair. I know every building has to have a utilitarian backside, but when your utilitarian backside is the face most users will see most often, then there should be an attempt to make it look as nice as the other faces of the building.

Years from now when the library needs expanding, this buffer of land along Park Lane will be the obvious place to do it, and then they could improve the appearance of this corner. Or, they could just build a more direct sidewalk from the library entrance to Palm Drive.

That's a power outlet on the table with a single 120-volt outlet and two USB.

American history here. Don't tell Caitlyn Jenner!

There are two of these AV cubicles without ceilings, so you won't be able to really crank up the volume.

The southwest corner.

A banquette with power outlets where disaffected youth can gather. It just needs ashtrays!

Conference room with its own separate entrance.

I used to check out audiobooks from the library, but 80% of their stock was romance novels. Of the remaining 20%, I was interested in about half, and borrowed and listened to all of them. Good to see their selection has expanded quite a bit. I took a look to see if they had anything by Delany, meaning Samuel. But there was only one novel by someone else named "Delaney." I suppose the library accepts donations.

The complete set of photos is here.

Filed under Architecture,Coachella Valley,Desert Hot Springs,Photography | permalink | June 26, 2021 at 02:33 PM

Comments

The comments to this entry are closed.