Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room
The Fergusons are long-time supporters of the Library whose interests include local history, collecting books on Northwest history, and helping others to learn more about our region.
Seattle Room Hours
Monday: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tuesday - Friday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday: noon - 6 p.m.
Library staff is available to help with your research, answer questions, and locate materials.
The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room is located on Level 10.
The Seattle Collection contains items about Seattle's history and includes published materials, Seattle city documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, maps and atlases, high school yearbooks and oral histories. It also features paintings, drawings, metalwork, sculpture, prints and photographs.
The Library owns a number of rare and valuable items including Bungalow Magazine (published in Seattle), accounts of early explorations in the Northwest, and documents on local architectural history.
The Library's original art collection has been acquired over the past 100 years and includes works by local artists such as Paul Horiuchi and Kenneth Callahan. Artworks can be viewed by appointment; please contact Jodee Fenton, manager of the Seattle Room, at 206-386-4610.
The Albert Balch Autograph Collection, part of the Seattle Collection, features original letters, photographs and signed copies of published works. It includes signatures by Helen Keller, Babe Ruth and T. S. Elliot.
The Library also has original photographs of historic Seattle, Native Americans, streets, businesses, portraits, and The Seattle Public Library buildings. More than 30,000 photos are part of the Seattle Collection, including works by Edward S. Curtis, Webster and Stevens, and Werner Lenggenhager.
Much of the print items in the Seattle Room are in the online catalog listings. The Northwest Index (a card catalog index of local newspapers), and other aids for finding non-cataloged materials also will help scholars. Patrons can browse the collection during the Seattle Room's open hours.
The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Digital Collection makes some items from the Library's Special Collections available online.
See Special Collections for more information on the Library's four specialized collections.
For more information on the Seattle Room contact:
Jodee Fenton, 206-386-4610
