On November 19, 1965, the new Lake City Branch, The Seattle Public Library, opens at 12501 28th Avenue NE. The new building, designed by John Morse and Associates, is on the site of Lake City School where a lending library was first established in 1935. The building and the bronze gates by George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) will receive an Award of Merit from the American Institute of Architects.
Seattle took over operation of the Lake City Branch Library in January 1955, after the North End was annexed to the city. Within months, the branch moved to space rented from Shoreline Savings and Loan at 32nd Avenue E and E 125th Street (later 32nd Avenue NE and NE 125th Street). Almost immediately, the library was overburdened with use and a proper branch was needed.
The new building was completed at a cost of $344,522 and Mayor J. D. "Dorm" Braman (1901-1980), himself a lumber dealer from Lake City, attended the dedication. Architect Victor Steinbrueck wrote of the design, "Simplicity and unity are achieved with architectural confidence by the dignified form which, though unusual, utilizes common materials. It is traditionally inspired but unaggressively contemporary in character. Most surprising are the low semi-circular arched windows and gateway entrance, which give the building a sense of being solidly set into the ground."
