The city of Seattle established a public library in 1890 after several earlier attempts by private citizens. The library was housed in various places and in 1899 moved into the Yesler Mansion at 516 3rd Ave. After the mansion burned in 1901, industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated $200,000 for a new building, which opened in 1906 on the site of the current SPL Central Library. The Carnegie Library served the city until 1960 when it was replaced by a new International Style building, designed by the Seattle firm of Bindon & Wright. In 2004 the current building was constructed, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

This photo, taken around 1918, shows a crowded reading room at the Seattle Public Library. At that time, the library had separate reading rooms for men and women.

Webster & Stevens number: 19531


Caption information source: https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/5583/
Caption information source: https://www.spl.org/about-us/the-organization/our-history/detailed-history