Houston, Texas, January 12, 2009 - More than 150 people joined Houston Mayor Bill White on a crisp winter morning filled with sunshine and promise to celebrate the official groundbreaking for the restoration and expansion of the historic Julia Ideson Library that will complete the vision for the Spanish Renaissance-style building originally conceived by noted architect Ralph Adams Cram more than 80 years ago.

The iconic Julia Ideson Library, completed in 1926 and later named for Houston’s first professional librarian, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The project’s first phase includes a new south “loggia” or open-air gallery, an outdoor reading room, and the addition of a 24,500 square foot wing with high-density purpose built archival storage to house the massive collection of rare books, architectural drawings and photographs of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, which is part of the Houston Public Library system. The project’s second phase includes restoration of the existing 61,700 square foot building. The preservation project is seeking Silver LEED certification through the use of high efficiency lighting, water conservation measures, reuse of building structure and components, low-VOC materials, an energy efficient HVAC chiller and light reflective roofing.

SpawMaxwell was selected by the City of Houston General Services Department to manage construction for the historic preservation project. The design team includes project architect Gensler and landscape architect TBG Partners with oversight by the Texas Historical Commission.

The project is being funded in part through the efforts of the Julia Ideson Preservation Partners (JILPP), a non-profit organization founded in 2006 led by Chairman Phoebe Tudor. The JILPP launched a $38 million capital campaign with more than 50 percent of its goal raised to date.  With construction underway, the group will focus on raising funds for the restoration phase of the project.  “We’re going to be optimistic and plow ahead,” Tudor said. “We’re not going to give up.”

“The cultural and architectural significance of the Julia Ideson Library cannot be overstated,” said SpawMaxwell Contract Manager Mark Crippen. “It is an honor for SpawMaxwell to be chosen by the City of Houston to help preserve this remarkable building, and deliver on the original vision for the space first articulated by Cram, and now interpreted by Gensler and TBG partners.”