OK, I’ll admit it, I thought the story of the library in America would be set on the East Coast. I mean, wasn’t the rest of the country struggling for survival, making log cabins and panning for gold when the first reading room at the Boston Public Library opened? Not really, they were building Carnegie Libraries just like everyone else. The West Coast might have gotten a late start but they learned fast - Seattle is an absolute library mecca. Central library is a phenomenon of its own but then there are the 26 branch libraries. Six current branches are on the National Register of Historic Places, several have been declared landmarks by the Landmark Preservation Board and the new Ballard Branch is LEED Certified.
I wasn’t surprised to find Andrew Carnegie’s name in the history of libraries in Seattle, his name has turned up as patron saint of libraries across the entire country. Carnegie’s first library grant in Seattle came four days after most of the library’s collection went up in smoke in the Yesler Mansion. The mansion belonged to Henry Yesler, a saw mill owner and Seattle’s first millionaire and was donated to the library at his death in 1892 as a permanent home for the transient library, then it burned to the ground in 1901 and the library was homeless and bookless. Carnegie made a deal with city officials; he would donate a whopping $200,000 to build a ‘fireproof’ library if they would buy the site and guarantee $50,000/year for maintenance. When Carnegie sent off his hefty check he noted, “I like your pluck.”
At the turn of the century, Ballard, WA was a small fishing town outside of Seattle. They built their own Carnegie Library in 1901 with the help of the Dewey Women’s Christian Temperance Union (the group was doing their best to encourage activities that did not include alcohol). The classic revival building included a men’s smoking room, ladies conversation room and a large auditorium. When they opened, with very few books, residents were encouraged to visit and “bring a book to start the collection.” There is an entertaining and detailed history of the branch at HistoryLink.org.
In 1907 Ballard was annexed by Seattle and the library became its first branch. It certain has grown up since then...as part of the “Libraries For All” bond, the Ballard Branch, now located at 5614 22nd Ave. N.W., was rebuilt in 2005 as a library and neighborhood center for $10.6 million. The design, by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is breathtaking (check out their photos). The swooping recycled pine beams are perched atop a delicate glass and metal base and, although it is ultra-modern, it feels warm and welcoming. The branch vibe is young, ambitious and vibrant and, coolest of all, it has a sod roof planted with 18,000 low-water-use plants. Wait, I lied, it gets cooler...there is a PERISCOPE in the library so you can check out the roof and the mountain views. Hold on, cooler still... the artwork in the library is a LED display that interprets data from weather instruments on the roof and triggers patterns of motion. Even Andrew Carnegie couldn't make up this incredible, imaginative stuff, it took the artists Donald Fels, Andrew Schloss and Dale Stammen to do that along with the vision of the Seattle Public Library.
I wasn’t surprised to find Andrew Carnegie’s name in the history of libraries in Seattle, his name has turned up as patron saint of libraries across the entire country. Carnegie’s first library grant in Seattle came four days after most of the library’s collection went up in smoke in the Yesler Mansion. The mansion belonged to Henry Yesler, a saw mill owner and Seattle’s first millionaire and was donated to the library at his death in 1892 as a permanent home for the transient library, then it burned to the ground in 1901 and the library was homeless and bookless. Carnegie made a deal with city officials; he would donate a whopping $200,000 to build a ‘fireproof’ library if they would buy the site and guarantee $50,000/year for maintenance. When Carnegie sent off his hefty check he noted, “I like your pluck.”
At the turn of the century, Ballard, WA was a small fishing town outside of Seattle. They built their own Carnegie Library in 1901 with the help of the Dewey Women’s Christian Temperance Union (the group was doing their best to encourage activities that did not include alcohol). The classic revival building included a men’s smoking room, ladies conversation room and a large auditorium. When they opened, with very few books, residents were encouraged to visit and “bring a book to start the collection.” There is an entertaining and detailed history of the branch at HistoryLink.org.
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