Seattle Public Library
historic place
The Seattle Public Library's origins trace back to a library association formed in 1868, becoming an official city department in 1890. Its first public reading room opened in 1891 in Pioneer Square's Occidental Building. After a 1901 fire destroyed a temporary location, Andrew Carnegie provided funding for the first permanent Central Library. This Beaux-Arts building, designed by P.J. Weber, opened on December 19, 1906, at 1000 Fourth Avenue. A second Central Library, in the International style, replaced it on March 26, 1960, on the same site. This building was notable for having the first escalator in an American library. The current 11-story Central Library, designed by Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus, opened on May 23, 2004. It was funded by a 1998 bond measure. The Seattle Public Library demonstrates the city's sustained investment in public knowledge and community resources.