Montlake Branch Highlights
The current Montlake Branch opened Aug. 12, 2006. The library is a community hub where friends and neighbors meet. Light pours through many windows and fills the brick and wood-toned interior.
History
Serving the Montlake community since 1944.
In 1944, The Seattle Public Library teamed up with the Montlake Community Club to open a small library.
The community club raised money and leased a former grocery store. The Library provided a librarian and books. In 1947, the Library took over caring for the Montlake Branch.
In 1979, the branch moved to an adjacent former drug store space. In 1991, the branch closed for two and a half years while the building owner upgraded the structure. During that closure, a bookmobile served the neighborhood.
By 1998, the aging building needed to be replaced. The 1998 Libraries for All bond campaign proposed a new building for the Montlake Branch. The Library consulted with the community and selected the current location from eight options. The new Montlake Branch opened in 2006 with a meeting room and a parking lot.
Architecture
The modern brick and cedar of the Montlake Branch reflect the neighborhood's architecture. The entry plaza provides an outdoor gathering space. A glass staircase entrance on 24th Avenue East creates an open and transparent invitation to visitors. Patrons reading inside the branch can view the outdoor gardens.
Architects: Weinstein Architects + Urban Designers, 2006.
Art
Seattle artist Rebecca Cummins created "Skylight Aperture Sundial" for the new building. It has five circular openings in the ceiling covered by glass discs. They project a series of colorful spotlights that move through the library throughout the day, as the sun appears to move across the sky. Markings on the floor indicate the position of solar noon from the spring to autumn equinox.
Two other pieces from the Library's artwork collection also are on display in the branch - a painting called "Delphic Theme III" by Boyer Gonzales and a color woodcut print called "Tea House" by Hodaka Yoshida.
Named Spaces
Spaces named for donors include:
- Don G. and Jane Markham Abel Meeting Room
- Luke and Annalee Pigott Children's Area
- Betty Bennett Simpson Reading Area