Seattle Public Library - Beacon Hill Branch

History:

The first Beacon Hill Library opened Oct. 23, 1945, in a small building at 2708 Beacon Ave. S. Members of the Beacon Hill Community Club, Beacon Hill Parent-Teachers Association and Jefferson Park Ladies' Improvement Club contributed time, money, materials and labor.

The Seattle Public Library board of trustees agreed to provide books and staff if the community would pay the rent, decorate, furnish and maintain the building for a two-year trial period. Heavy use convinced the Library Board to assume full responsibility.

On Dec. 6, 1962, the library moved to a larger, rented space at 2519 15th Ave. S. in a building originally built in 1927 as a food store. In 1968, fire destroyed the variety store next door, but heavy rain kept the library from burning. The Library Board bought the 3,200-square-foot building in 1975.