In 1956, Seattle voters approved bond money to replace the then-50-year-old Central Library, earmarking any leftover funds to build more branches. The Southwest branch was the first to be built with that pool of money, and it opened in 1961 to replace a library "station" near the Fauntleroy ferry. (As the library website explains, stations had fewer books than branches and were open fewer hours, but they helped the city meet surging demand during and after World War II.) Two years after it opened, it was the third-busiest branch in the system.
By the 21st century, the branch needed a new, more prominent look along busy 35th Avenue S.W. A 2005-2007 renovation doubled available space and added a vibrant exterior, including delightful details that reward closer inspection, too. Especially noteworthy is "Anthology," a series of five sculpted pairs of bronze hands by British Columbia artist Katherine Kerr that are now featured on a coloring sheet from the library. A relief sculpture, "Mother Reading With Child" by Charles W. Smith, was preserved from the previous building.
South Park
Another successful bond election, the 1998 "Libraries for All" campaign, finally brought a branch to the South Park neighborhood in 2006. This is a neighborhood of contrasts and kids, and the branch's creative, colorful design reflects this, from carpeting that recalls book spines and reading alcoves for teens to a pegboard-like ceiling with 90,000 holes to absorb noise. Outdoors, a pattern in the concrete path is meant to evoke the nearby Duwamish River and an art installation called "South Park Lights" are inspired by the neighborhood's heritage.
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