Seattle Public Library, ca 1918 (MOHAI 5110)

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 finally ended up in the Yesler Mansion, just uphill from its current site. After the mansion burned in 1901, industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated $200,000 for a new building which opened in 1906. The Carnegie Library served the city until 1956 when it was replaced by the current library building. In the late 1990s, the Seattle Public Library has plans to build another new library on the same site.
This photo, taken around 1918, shows the outside of the Seattle Public Library at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Spring Street.

Subjects (LCTGM): Libraries; Seattle Public Library