Postcard From Seattle: Seattle Central Library

Libraries are almost unnecessary nowadays. Other than for students where the library is almost a sanctuary from the crazy that can be dorm-life, libraries quite often become ignored and forgotten. The library in the town where I grew up was a giant, brown brick eyesore. Dark and dated, the only use I had for my local library was its monthly used book sale. The Seattle Central Library, however, is massive. It is a spectacle. I read some reviews about the downtown glass and steel structure, criticizing, mostly, its interior design. I have to admit that when I first saw the building I was turned off. Typically, I am not hugely engaged by modern design. When it comes to architecture, Seattle's Printer's Row district and Chicago's lake side Michigan Ave. area (with The Drake hotel) are more my scene.  The central library in Seattle, is drastically opposed to the general aesthetic of architecture with the personality I like to see.

That being said: photos!

 

What I have decided I enjoyed about the library design is that it does not look like a library. The library of my childhood is aesthetically depressing, comparable to an institution or worse: a shadowy, neglected structure, once intended for intellectual interaction, now devoid of potential. I'm a lifelong reader and book collector. Bookstores excite me, and a library like the Seattle Central Library excited me.

 

The interior is sprawling with eleven levels of space, most all of which are available to the public. Levels 6-9 are called "The Book Spiral". This area is where the stacks of books are located, literally a spiral of sloping ramps, easy to glide through. The book spiral is in the center of the 4 levels, enclosed by plexi-glass walls. The concept innately opposed to ordinarily dreary, windowless library stacks. As long as there is daylight in Seattle, there will be natural light in the library stacks.

 

 

Overall, the stacks were serene. Surrounded by natural light and a great view of the city, I was comfortable reading for a bit on a big purple couch and later using one of the four hundred computers to plan my next move.

  

One of the most surprising moments was exiting the elevator on the fourth floor. A long time Twin Peaks fan, I am instantly drawn to anything that reminds me of the red room scene. Creepy, brilliant: Lynchian.

The fourth floor is a giant, circular red room!

I have still yet to visit the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, but Seattle has inspired me to take a look. Seattle's library has continually been the structure I've talked about most from my trip, especially from an economical standpoint. It's free and it has a great view. Personally being one of the few people I know without a smart-phone, it was useful to have a place to go to where I could map out my next move.