architecture

  • Recent Books Celebrate Magnolia Branch Architect

    The life and work of architect Paul Hayden Kirk, designer of The Seattle Public Library’s Magnolia Branch, is commanding renewed interest due to the publication of two new books: Paul Hayden Kirk and the Rise of the Northwest Modern by Seattle author and filmmaker Dale Kutzera, and Paul Hayden Kirk and the Puget Sound School… Continue reading

  • Reading Notre Dame

    It has to be the worst possible reason to have a bestseller. In the wake of last week’s devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel Notre Dame de Paris – perhaps better known to English speakers as The Hunchback of Notre Dame – has climbed to the top of the… Continue reading

  • Home for the Holidays

    Have you ever wanted to explore the history behind some of Seattle’s unique bungalow homes? This month we launched a new digital collection featuring the iconic Bungalow Magazine that lets you do just that. Bungalow Magazine was published in Seattle between 1912 and 1918 and features homes constructed in the Puget Sound region and other… Continue reading

  • Dancing about architecture

    The unusual design and architecture of Seattle’s Central Library has inspired many people. Every day, throughout the day, someone can be seen taking pictures of the steel and glass building both inside and out. Photographers are found around the Fourth or Fifth Avenue entrances looking into the honeycombed windows or skyward at the jutted angles… Continue reading

  • How do I love the Seattle Public Library? Let me count the ways.

    Today’s guest blogger is Diana E. James, author of the newly published Shared Walls: Seattle Apartment Buildings, 1900-1939 (and co-author of one of our library’s own talented teen librarians). How do I love Seattle Public Library? Let me count the ways. Where else would a staff-person patiently sift through a drawer of maps until the perfect one… Continue reading

  • Skyscraper Safety Before 9/11

    The tragic events of September 11, 2001 focused attention on the safety of skyscrapers and their vulnerability to airplane collisions. Yet the issue was by no means a new one: for more than half a century, architects, engineers, politicians, and the general public had been concerned about the possibility of a plane crashing into a… Continue reading

  • Seattle’s Bungalows

    On Saturday and Sunday, I had the pleasure of representing the Library at Historic Seattle’s Bungalow Fair, an annual gathering of enthusiasts of bungalows and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Continue reading

  • My phone leads me to the perfect book

    Here’s a text message I received: The gardens of Frank Lloyd Wright Central (206-386-4636) Level 3 New Book Shelf / Living Room call #:712.6092 S9319F 2009 May I just say that I LOVE this? (Except for the part with “gardens” not being capitalized; otherwise, it’s 100 percent love.) Here’s how my phone led me to… Continue reading

  • Bungalow Nation

    I love craftsman bungalows. I love the open floor plans, the overhanging eaves with the knee braces, the porches with the pillars, the classic bungalow interior wall with a fireplace flanked by windows and built-in bookcases, the nooks and crannies, the stained glass, wood, stone and tile work, the sconces and the chandeliers. What’s not… Continue reading

  • Seattle’s Oldest House

    The honor of being Seattle’s oldest house officially belongs to The Ward House at 1423 Boren. But there have been and are other contenders. In May 1985, The Weekly concluded that the Ward House at 1423 Boren built in 1882 by pioneer entrepreneur George W. Ward was Seattle’s oldest surviving residential structure. The structure had stood vacant… Continue reading

  • The Decoration of Houses

    Here are some interesting books about interior design, plus some about unusual buildings: The Elements of Style: an Encyclopedia of Domestic Architectural Detail (edited by Stephen Calloway) For anyone who wants to restore their historic house, or for anyone interested in the history of house styles, this beautiful book is a goldmine of information and… Continue reading

  • Buildings and Cities

    The Seattle Public Library has a large and varied collection of books about architecture and city planning. Here are a few that I find interesting and useful. I hope you enjoy them too. The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs Jane Jacobs’ classic ground-breaking attack on the planning of American cities,… Continue reading

  • Closing the Drawers: Photo collection focuses on a family’s 80 years in Fremont

    The Fremont Branch is hosting a display of photos tracing the history of a Scandinavian family and the Fremont home they shared for more than 80 years. The photos will be on display from June 17 through 30, with an Opening Reception in the Library this Thursday, June 19, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Michael Kleven… Continue reading