Green Lake Branch Highlights
The Green Lake Branch offers patrons an inviting and spacious design. Rich detailing throughout the interior adds to the warm, historic feel of the branch.
It is a short distance from the Green Lake Park playground. The proximity makes this area a popular destination for families. The branch was remodeled in 2024 thanks to the 2019 Library Levy. The landmarked Carnegie building now has seismic retrofitting for public safety and air conditioning for comfort.
History
Serving the Green Lake community since 1905
In 1905, The Seattle Public Library opened a small reading room on the east side of Green Lake. It was several blocks south of the present building. In 1908, industrialist Andrew Carnegie agreed to donate $35,000 to build a new library. Residents raised $3,000 to buy the current branch site. The city contributed another $1,000, and the building opened in July 1910.
In the early 21st century, the Green Lake Branch was extensively renovated. Renovations were funded by the $196.4 "Libraries For All" bond measure, passed by Seattle voters in 1998. The branch was closed for about a year. Workers made upgrades to sound insulation and ventilation systems. They installed new windows that could open. A new downstairs bathroom was added near the meeting room. The branch reopened in March 2004.
In 2023, the Green Lake Branch closed for major structural improvements funded by the 2019 Library Levy. The renovations included a seismic retrofit to keep patrons safe during an earthquake. Workers installed an electric HVAC system to reduce carbon emissions and add air conditioning to the branch for the first time. Other interior changes included a new elevator and exterior ramp and new restrooms. Historic features and original architectural components of the branch were preserved throughout the project. The Green Lake Branch reopened in October 2024.
Architecture
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.
Architects: BuildingWork, 2024; Snyder Hartung Kane Strauss Architects, 2004; 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 Green Lake Branch explores the art of Rhetoric.
Named Spaces
Mary Alice Cooley Meeting Room
Mary Alice Cooley was a talented drawer and painter, a certified pilot, an avid reader, a generous philanthropist, and a loving mother of six, stepmother of five, and wife of Richard P. Cooley. She is remembered for her courageous spirit, her great sense of humor, her love of life and her love of family.