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Building History

The first library self-service station to serve this neighborhood opened in 1996 with a small circulating collections and one public computer at the Southwest Youth and Family Services Center. Extensive use convinced library administrators that this was an under-served library context.

Construction on the Seattle Public Library's Delridge Branch began in 05/2001 and concluded about a year later, opening on 06/29/2002.This was the third branch to open using monies derived from the remarkable 1998 "Libraries for All" bond issue; construction cost $3 million. Planned in association with the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, the library occupied the first floor of a three-story mixed-use building. Nineteen apartments filled the upper two stories. The Seattle architectural firm of Stickney Romine Murphy (SMR) designed the complex, that was erected by the Walsh Construction Company.

The Seattle Public Library's web site for the Delridge Branch stated: "The architect designed the building to make it clear it has two uses: the housing portion feels like a house and the library portion has a civic presence. The branch takes up the bottom floor of the building and has heavy concrete and high-tech finishes. The apartments in the upper two floors have a warmer feel.Along the street, the apartments are set back from the rest of the building, and at the corner the apartments come forward so the housing blends with the branch. The entry to the branch has a long diagonal corridor, which curves and draws people inside. Locating housing and the library on the same site helps to reduce urban sprawl and allows more efficient use of public transportation." (See Seattle Public Library, "About the Delridge Branch," accessed 08/05/2015.)

PCAD id: 7824