West Seattle Branch Highlights
The renovated West Seattle Branch opened April 3, 2004. At this Carnegie library, tall ceilings contribute to a sense of openness. Rich detailing and use of wood throughout the interior add to the warm, historic feel.
History
Serving the Admiral District since 1910
In 1908, industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated $105,000 for three branch libraries in Seattle. One of them was in West Seattle. That same year, the Niesz family and other West Seattle residents donated land. The branch opened July 23, 1910 and remains in the same location. It was the first permanent library branch to open in Seattle.
In 1927, the West Seattle Branch basement became Library storage known as the “West Seattle Stacks” until the storage moved in 1981.
By the 1930s, decades of heavy community use began to show at the branch. In 1938, the federal Works Progress Administration provided workers to paint the building and refinish the old furniture. That program ended when World War II began.
The West Seattle Branch became a test site in 1949 for the Recordak. It was a circulation technology manufactured by Kodak. The automated system photographed a borrower's library card, a date card, and a punch card from the book. The new system was popular since it reduced checkout time for books.
In 1984, Seattle voters approved a bond issue, which improved the Library's seven historic Carnegie-era branches. The West Seattle Branch was renovated by architect Sean Robinson in 1987. The skylights, once painted black in 1942 against the threat of WWII-era nighttime air raids, were restored to let light in again. The composition shingle roof was removed in favor of imported slate, and a wheelchair ramp was added. The lighting was upgraded with modern wiring but maintained a historical look.
The West Seattle Branch was upgraded again in 2004, thanks to the 1998 voter-approved Libraries for All building program. Workers installed more power outlets and upgraded technology access. The building’s basement was renovated for use as a meeting room, and staff offices were added.
In 2015, the Library made exterior changes to improve the branch's accessibility. Seattle’s Real Estate Excise Tax funded these improvements. Workers replaced the front steps of the building. Ramps from the parking lot to the building’s entrance and the lower-level meeting room were also replaced. Lighted handrails were added to the ramps and steps.
Architecture
Two main floor reading areas are on each side of the branch’s entry and lobby. The lack of a lower-level auditorium was atypical to most Carnegie designs. Two sets of vertical windows on each wing allow natural light into the building.
Architects: Snyder Hartung Kane Strauss Architects, 2004; Sean Robinson, 1987; W. Marbury Somervell and Joseph S. Coté, 1910.
Art
"The Seven Liberal Arts" by Dennis Evans
Artist Dennis Evans was commissioned to create two pieces of artwork each for five of Seattle's historic Carnegie-era libraries. Building on the ideas of learning, education, and history, Evans linked the libraries with paintings based on the seven liberal arts. Called the “Seven Liberal Arts Suite,” his work celebrates the seven branches of knowledge that initiate everyone into a life of learning. Each branch features one “reference painting” that is similarly composed at each location. The second art piece at each library is unique to that location and explores one of the seven liberal arts. The unique work featured at The West Seattle Branch explores the art of Logic.
Named Spaces
Spaces named for donors include:
- Stim Bullitt Reading Area
- Anne and Langdon Simons Children's Area