About the building

Architects: BuildingWork, 2024; Snyder Hartung Kane Strauss Architects, 2004; W. Marbury Somervell and Joseph S. Coté, 1910.

Exterior view windows at the Green Lake Branch
Exterior view windows at the Green Lake Branch

The building is an example of “French Renaissance Revival Style” architecture. The T-shaped building follows one of Carnegie's preferred designs for libraries: main-floor reading areas and a lower-level auditorium. Wings on each side of the building feature two huge sets of vertical windows, allowing natural light and fresh air to pour into the building.

The library exterior is finished in a light sand-colored stucco with painted terra cotta trim and ornament. Decorative steel brackets support the eaves of the hipped roof clad in red tile.

The historic Green Lake Branch is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2001, it was named a landmark building by Seattle's Landmarks Preservation Board.