Capitol Hill’s much-loved — and much-photographed, as you can see below — library turned 10 on Friday. Thanks to Historylink.org You can read a history of Capitol Hill’s libraries including this note on the creation of the Harvard Ave E:
The Henry Branch lent its last book on November 3, 2001, and the existing building was demolished. The renamed Capitol Hill Branch opened on May 31, 2003. (On February 23, 1999, the Library Board adopted a policy limiting the use of personal names to areas within libraries, rather than to libraries themselves. This policy impacted all new, rebuilt, or relocated branches. With the exception of the Douglass-Truth Branch and the Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch, The Seattle Public Library’s branch names indicate the neighborhoods in which they are built). The 11,215-square-foot building was designed by Johnston Architects and Cutler Architects. The new building is more than twice the size of the old one and can hold 40,000 books. It features large windows with wide window seats, community meeting rooms, and a large central reading room under a soaring ceiling with skylights, and a glass book tower.
Seattle Public Library Capitol Hill Branch, originally uploaded by brewbooks.
Meanwhile, Twice Sold Tales, another Harvard Ave destination for the bookish, celebrated an anniversary this week, too. Sunday, the book party ends, however — it’s the final day of business for the Hill’s Half Price Books outlet.
More images of the Capitol Hill library, below.
Library, originally uploaded by sea turtle.
Library book deposit, originally uploaded by ~wesa~.
If I Were King of the Forest, originally uploaded by JennyH8.
Capitol hill library, originally uploaded by a_ahlstrom.
Capitol Hill Library Back, originally uploaded by adamjk1b.
Can we get the City Council to say that all new buildings must have an external trellis with vines growing?
Maybe one of those councilmanic resolutions.
When I was unemployed, the Capitol Hill library helped me out a ton with job search help and also reading/watching material to keep me from going insane. I gratefully support them every year.
I miss the Susan J. Henry branch. Even though it was smaller than the current Capitol Hill branch, it’s where I learned how to use a library & love books. It was a very cool, low-slung 50s-era building with a curved ramp entrance–long before its time!
The new library is larger, volume wise, but most of that is from the immense ceiling height in the main part of the library. It’s not clear how that airspace aids in the building’s function as a library.