I initially thought the idea of visiting a library on a trip was really dorky, but I'm super glad I came here! This library is SO freaking cool!!! It's located in downtown Seattle and has a breathtaking view of the entire city - I actually think the view here rivals the one at the Space Needle...except this place is free! They have every book imaginable here, I swear! Every floor is devoted to a different subject, genre, or usage. Some floors have really neat, comfy lounge chairs, which are ideal for just chilling or even taking a nap on! One floor is completely painted red and has conference rooms for well-known business companies to meet at. It's pretty neat because it really embodies the culture of Seattle, which to me is very intellectual...after all, don't most Seattle folks spend all their time drinking coffee and reading? This is probably the most colorful library I have ever been to! You can spend hours just walking around, admiring all of the unique architecture in here - from the ceilings, to the walls, to the layout (it's quite a maze in there!), to the bathrooms, to the revolving doors, to the big drawing tables, to the unique computer stands...I mean, wow! This place should really be considered a tourist attraction instead of a library because I would be way too distracted to get any studying done here! :) read more

I asked Michael K. for a sightseeing suggestion in Seattle, and he said I should go to the library. I love libraries, but I always thought that this was a peculiar affinity on my part. I figured Mike was pandering to my book fetish, as I would probably not recommend most libraries to most tourists. In Seattle, though, I would say the public library is one of the most fascinating spots in town, worth a detour even if you don't touch a single book. First of all, the building is tremendous. Designed by the fortuitously named architect Rem Koolhaus, it resembles nothing more than a 3D abstract rendering of an evolved Pokemon in metal and glass. The huge, beautiful creature squats royally amid Seattle's downtown skyscrapers, its walls jutting out at improbable, eye-catching angles. When you go inside, you're met with neon yellow escalators that take you up and down the cavernous interior, where you can watch hundreds of people searching for books, jobs, and information. Cool art displays raise the library to the status of a free, small-scale museum. A particularly creepy one on an escalator depicts a woman's moving face projected on a white egg. We took the escalator all the way to the top, and the view of the city was wonderful, if a bit restricted through the criss-crossed windows. There was also a viewpoint from which you could look down an atrium to the bottom floor of the building, which showed people standing by angled bookcases arranged over a photographic quilt with the look of a pond thick with greenery. I didn't explore the labyrinth of books during my visit to this library, though I appreciated a selection of prominently displayed staff picks worthy of your snootiest bookstore. Mostly I was happy to ooh and aah at the sights like an uneducated beast, camera snapping. I wonder if the people of Seattle use this library more than they would in another city. I hope that they do, and I hope that unlike me, they actually get their hands on its wares of knowledge. read more

This was one of the most extensive public libraries I've been to. They have 10 floors, lots of seating and open lighting, which is great! There are tons of people here studying, reading, hanging out. There's a nice food/coffee shop on the 3rd floor entrance as well. The library itself is very pretty, lots of natural light and the design makes for a cool, modern place to study. read more

Architecture is underrated! From the way the shape and spaces of a building are arranged, to the amount and location of windows, to the textures and building materials used, our brains and bodies are greatly affected by good and bad architecture. Koolhaas' Central Library is an amazing building and it seems to energize the studious parts of my brain. There is always the right amount of background noise in the top study chamber, and I always get a lot of reading, studying or web work done when I'm up there. I'm also a big fan of pubic spending on large civic institutions like libraries and schools. So I love the main downtown branch of the library because it is an architectural masterpiece that draws tourists, local and regional people into the library to enjoy what us locals pay for. I've checked out some books and it was nothing fancy, but the experience of spending time in this building has been one the great pleasures of living close to downtown. read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Wonderful library, all kinds of activities for the kids to encourage reading. Clean, updated, and helpful nice staff. Thanks guys!

I highly recommend visiting this building. The architecture itself is amazing and it has 10 floors of pure awesomeness. Take the elevator or escalator to the third floor because it is literally all red. Then walk up the stairs to the fourth floor and continue walking up the yellow escalators passing the 5th to the 9th floor. Then go around the Seattle room upwards towards the 10th floor and go to the "highest view point." You can literally look down all 10 stories from the atrium. Then head down to the 9th floor and stop by the map room! Even though I was only here for about 30 mins, I thought it was definitely worth the stop! Weird fact: the bathroom stall doors are really short so you can see people's faces or heads when they stand up, lol. read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - View from the 10th floor - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Hi, my name is Faith and I am a library geek. I love the library and feel like this library review will be number 1 on my 'library crawl' through libraries far and wide throughout Seattle. If you know anything about Australian culture this phrase is meant to parallel the 'pub crawl' which occurs when a group of people hit one pub after another pub, and another, until they can walk no more - which is why it is called a pub CRAWL! But I am sure you Yelpers know all about it? So I am going to do a library crawl but it will happen over an extended period. Ok, so I admit to getting a little stingy with the star rating for this library but I am a fan of all things old - including my libraries. After re-reading this post I really should re-phrase that and say all things antique, otherwise I may start getting message from all those old men around Seattle thinking that I want to date them? Yes, I admit Seattle needed some pizazz in the area of architecture but couldn't you have incorporated the pizazz in a different building like a condo or an art gallery. On my first visit I really didn't know what to make of this place and it did feel terribly sterile to me, but I do love the huge amount of glass that surrounds the building and would definitely love to be on the top floor on a really stormy day. Now that could be spectacular. Joel and I did all the things that any newcomer to the library does, and that is to visit every nook and crevice - and walked out exhausted by the end of it all. Now I have often heard that the colour red can make a person feel angry and I definitely saw red after stepping out of the elevator on level 4, but that feeling soon subsided after hearing a wonderful lecture on rare book collecting. Of course, at the end of the day this may not have been my favorite style of architecture for a library, but I did manage to exit the building with an armload of books - and that is all that really matters, isn't it! read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - Level 4 - I see red! - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I had never been in the new Seattle Public Library. Parking has already been problematic and expensive in Seattle. I came to do some genealogy research and decided to come in Sunday which was a good choice. Parking is less on Sunday and the libraries parking garage was nearly empty. The library has genealogists on staff and there was one there on Sunday. He helped me find the books I came into look at and suggested a few more. I was looking for family history in Rehoboth, Massachusetts / Sekonk, Rhode Island. I found the books I was looking for and made copies. For copies, bring a USB drive so it is free. Paper copies are 15 cents each. They have a commercial copies and a new computer based one, both of which will take the USB stick. I will definitely be back for more research. It is one of two valuable resources in the area, the other being the National Acrhives on Sand Point Way in Seattle. read more

Seattle's Central Library is by far the coolest and most striking public libraries I've ever been to. Between all of the glass and steel, colorful hallways and crazy angles my eyes didn't know where to look first. So beautiful and so worth stopping in and exploring if you are wandering downtown Seattle and need a break from the typical touristy spots. read more

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I was able to get a library card in about 5 minutes, all staff was so kind to me and my kids and they have a kids area that's about the size of most king county libraries. read more

This library has the most interesting architecture I've ever seen. It's so modern looking on the inside and the outside. The floors are lined with foreign languages. It's wall to wall books and there are so many levels, you could get lost in the stacks. I believe they give tours because people come from all over just to look at it. Definitely worth visiting, especially if you don't have a whole lot of money to spend. read more

If you're looking for something to do that is free around downtown Seattle, I'd recommend that you stop by here. The exterior of the library doesn't scream beautiful architecture but the inside looks amazing. On the top floor, the glass structure is reminiscent of I.M. Pei's Louvre Museum's Pyramids. I like looking up at the glass, it is pretty darn magnificent. If you go to the top level, you'll go through this elevator tunnel. Design wise, it looks pretty nice with the yellow lights. It kind of makes me feel like I'm in a Star Trek episode on a really high tech space ship. At the top, there is a corner where you can stand to gaze down all the multiple floors that you passed on your way up. If you're afraid of heights, don't gaze down. The library has a lot of amenities for regular library goers. They have a computer section where patrons can use their internet. Not a bad place to study too! read more

This excellent central library was designed by noted Dutch architect Rem Koolhaus. Its multifaceted glass exterior contains a rather advanced set of facilities and is a new spin on what a public library can and should be. The bold colors and designs of the interiors are very popular with the locals. I wish this library were in Chicago rather than in Seattle, and that is about as high a compliment that I can pay to this complex. read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - Seattle Public Library - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Great architecture, truly a one of a kind building! The staff here is exceptional, very friendly and informative. Unfortunately but understandably the restrooms were a bit "messy"... this is a community space that supports all of Seattle's citizens and they're doing a commendable job making it a welcoming experience for all, so I do not hold this against this otherwise fabulous library. read more

haven't gone during the day but at night it was weird. smelled so strongly of pee and a lot of homeless people sleeping on the chairs. wouldn't recommend read more

Love the checkout process! I did my first DVD hold here last week at the counter, and the lady kindly mentioned there's a Hold Pick Up section behind the counter where you can find your held item(s), then check them out at the self-checkout computers. It's so easy! Scan your card. Place items on pad, wait for hour glass to go, follow the screen, et voila! The drop off box is awesome, too. Tap the door for the mouth to open, feed the conveyor your items and it swallows them upstairs somewhere. Really cool. Note to self: I can check out alot of movies here that I'd previously thought about renting. read more

Part nightclub, part museum, all library. An over used word in American culture. AWESOME. but you could apply this word a million times over and not come close to the superlatives necessary to describe the elegant glass and steel Seattle Public Library. Prepare to be dumfounded upon approach to the building. I would recommend standing outside the building to enjoy the light play and images of cars and people reflected off of the glass. Like a living movie theatre. There are so many facets to this building in terms of the interplay off of the the other buildings, it would make any photographer mad with delight. Now let's go inside. I entered from the 4th street and Madison, I think. The entrance diretly across from the courthouse. Your visual experience will vary if you chose the 5th street to enter. HUGE. the feeling of space without feeling empty and lost. The shock of green, a lurid glowing phospherent green which in any other place would feel like a cliche works off gray concrete and metal. There is a cute little library shop which I suppose is a great littlenrevenue spinner withoutnlooing like one. The information desk Person informed me that there was a tour available. I would probably recommend it, but I declined. I like exploring on my own. It,s that kind of place. You need to feel it. And see it without interruption, it's just that cool. The team who designed this building must have spent hours days and years contemplating how every aspect of this building would feel visually, it is an experience to just ride the elevator to the top floor. A visual cacophony. Color and light and patterns just play off one another be in the green glow of the glass on the elevator against the reflection if the ceiling. But wait, is there really a ceiling? the angles defy this. How could so much glass, concrete and metal produce a quiet library? I don't know but the place was an old skool quiet. I was embarrassed to hear the tapping of my tiny normally quiet keyboard. For the number of people present it was eerily quiet. By the way there were mo people in here than maybe a shopping mall and it was surprisingly peaceful. The library has many zones and areas for Internet and computer connectivity, including juice up points and free wi-fi. There are also super cool areas to sit and read. There a funky photographic carpets in strong but muted colors delineating the zones. Everywhere I looked, angles and colors merged and played off each other. It is a busy place visually, but extremely fun and beautiful. Oh yes, and then there were the books,music magazines and periodicals. After all, tis was a library! read more

Five stars for the library building, 1 star for the people who run it. Here's why: Seattle has built itself a fabulous, iconic central library. Check out the photos and see for yourself. But, as Elle D, points out, the entire library system had shut down for a week in late August. Why? They had run out of money. No budget. City fathers and mothers of Seattle, y'all see the problem here? read more

Gorgeous library! We were visiting the city so of course we had to stop at this famous landmark. I'll always remember them for the book domino they created, so clever and wonderful! A stunning building and lots of people utilizing it to read, study, pass time, etc. Nice view over the railing from the top. We just walked down the ramps from the 10th floor and took the escalator from the 5th to 3rd floor. I loved their gift shop, so charming and lots of fun trinkets to buy. They have an underground parking structure which is convenient, but I didn't like that you had to pay to visit the library. Guess that's why we should use public transportation in the city. This library is a great asset to Seattle. read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - View of the library from the back of a car on a rainy day - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This is a brilliant structure by famed Dutch Architect Rem Koolhaas. Upon interacting with this building, for better or worse, one is forced to acknowledge it in ways that are unmistakably mind expanding. When I entered the building for the first time, basic perceptual features like sense of space/depth, contrast, curvature, color, closure & symmetry overwhelmed me in a very visceral way. It was frankly exhilarating! After touring the building, and exploring the various halls/rooms (like the Red Hall), I settled down upstairs at one of the reading tables and spent the entire afternoon reading & working on my laptop. I wish my hometown had a building like this. 5 Stars! read more

ehrmahgerd! ooh! I love the red hallways! lookie the talking egg! The glowing highlight elevator! Uber jealous Seattle gets such an awesome piece of architecture! I didn't use this space as a library, I used it to test out my phone's panorama setting. Never gotten so giddy and excited by a building before. It's a humonguous maze of color, and light. Look left, right, up, down- it's always amazing. read more

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This library is quite possibly the most beautiful architecturally designed library I have ever been to yet. Looking from the outside, any first time visitor would have a hard time figuring this out as a library. With over 11 floors (the top floor is restricted to staff only), I took the elevator to several different floors to get a nice variety of inside and outside view of the library. Once you reach to the 10th floor at the top, there is an atrium outlook that you can look down to the bottom. There is a parking garage at the underground level. I stayed for about 45 minutes and cost me $3. Definitely worth the visit!! read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - Seattle Public Library! - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I see now why people sit around the outskirts of the architecture, trying to get a piece of the free internet they offer inside -- great place if you're visiting and wish to upload your gallery to Facebook! I really enjoyed the interior architecture, from the diagonal windows and yellow-green escalators that leap-frogged you odd numbered levels, or in odd-number steps (from first to third or fourth floor), to the spiral stacks. Incredibly cooled and tons of computers for the public to use. Every city needs to take a lesson in public access from the Seattle Public Library! read more

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Our Central Library branch re-opened in 2004 and according to SPL's site, in its first year of operation attracted more than 8,000 visitors a day - double the average attendance in the old building. And I can believe it! The beautiful building was principally designed by Rem Koolhaas (Netherlands) and Joshua Ramus (Seattle). Their firm, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, partnered with LMN Architects of Seattle, to give Seattle a library worthy of serious boasting. Park underneath for a fee or take the bus here. Whether you begin at the ground floor or take the elevators all the way up, you have a LOT to see. Don't miss the vantage point from the tallest point in the library and look down. Hold onto your glasses because it's a long way down for something to fall. The beautiful carpets that you see are silk-screened with photographs of plant materia by Petra Blaisse. Check out the Books Spiral up or down and marvel how the decimal system is worked into the floor. There are five platforms and each is devoted to a specific programme cluster. There are four open spaces are housed among the platforms, where you can take advantage of the Wi-Fi, enjoy your coffee and your book or simply talk quietly. The Microsoft Auditorium seats about 300 and the building was built with sustainable systems to lessen its energy and environmental impact. I've never missed an opportunity to take visitors here and spend an hour or more walking around. And thinking about its beauty simply makes me want to go again. read more

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This is a beautiful community place. It's all glass with natural lights and so much space. In grad school we'd line up just to get a desk in the library for the day. There's no problem here. Head up to level 10 for a great view and lots of work space. The wifi is fast. The security team is tolerant of a lot so it's a mix of people, but safe and friendly. read more

185 libraries walk into a bar. The bartender says, "we don't serve libraries here." The libraries say, "come on - just check me out." Very. Impressive. Everything about it. The architecture, the organization, the staff, the computer lap, etc. There was not a single aspect of this library that failed to impress me. Personally, I love libraries. A centralized location where volumes of books ate stored and available for viewing - what's not to love about a place like that? The Seattle library (the central location - this one) is ten floors of librarian goodness. Floors 2 through 10 offer vast selection of books, music, audio, video, Internet, maps, art (paint and sculpture) and much much more. As a first timer, be sure to visit the 10th floor for the viewing platform. You can see the ultra-fast elevators go up and down. At one end of the viewing platform, you can look down to the 3rd floor, which gave me a quick jolt to my fear of heights. Plenty of history, art, music, and all the books you could ever want to read are here. Seattle Central Library is a definite must for visitors. read more

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This library is amazing! The architecture is super awesome, and the library is huge. There's so many floors and a lot of space to sit and do work. Power outlets everywhere too, and the Wifi is quite quick. I definitely recommend dropping by here if you're in the city to check it out! read more

This is probably one of the most modern libraries I have ever been to in my life. Everything is brightly lit, colorful and hip. We reserved a meeting room on the 7th floor for the entire day. It met our needs since it had a central power strip and a white board with markers. However, since we were paying money to rent the room, we lost precious time when the door was locked and remained locked for about 30 minutes until we had to bug someone to open it for us. Also, why are the women's bathroom stalls so short? Someone can watch me pee if they stand next to the doors. Not the kind of eye contact I want to see in the bathroom. read more

Visited here while looking around the Pike Place market. It is the biggest library I have seen so far. I can't believe this is a public library. Its design is so unique and modern! It offers free computer service ane spacious resting areas for visitors. Since I was tired from backpacking, this place was perfect for me to both enjoy sightseeing and take a rest. Highly recommend to read or rest on the 10th floor! read more

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Wow! This library is HUGE! Also, the outside of the library (I almost typed museum) is beautiful. Along with that, a 10 story library? How do you even find a book in this place? Along with that, there is a point on the very top floor of the library where you look straight down to the 1st floor. Let's just say, hold onto your phones tight so you don't drop it and I hope you're not afraid of heights. read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This building really is beautiful and a really amazing piece of architecture. It's a really cool place to spend some time to walk around in too. When you come it, head straight up the escalators to the very top floor to get a really cool view of the city out of the checkered glass roof that over looks the study area on top. Work your way through the collections down to the Red room on the 4th floor where everything is painted red. This is a cool place to visit and check out for a bit, but a poor place to work or study. As other people pointed out, there are lots of homeless people that frequent the library that use the bathrooms there to clean up and the open spaces to sleep. The bathrooms and tight study spaces tend to smell really bad. Avoid them if you can. read more

Great library! First, it is a beautiful building in terms of architecture. A lot of people were inside just taking pictures and looking around. I love how many floors there are and each floor has places to read/charge your things/study or just relax. Nice environment for studying or reading a great book. PROS: Lots of seating, beautiful design, lots of outlets, lots of books too! read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - Great Architecture - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This library is awesome! If I ever settle down in Seattle, I'd like to come here once every weekend and just go up to the 10th floor and spend an afternoon reading. :) The architecture is beautiful, the building is gigantic, and there is a generous amount of space dedicated to reading either just in chairs or sitting at desks. The Seattle Public Library is one of my favorite libraries of all time, and just like how sometimes you associate songs with certain memories, I'll remember this place as the beautiful space where I started to read one of the best science fiction books ever, The Dark Forest, by Cixin Liu (Book #2 after The Three-Body Problem). read more

My absolute favorite library that I've ever been to yet. It is 11 stories of amazing architecture, fantastic book selection, and tons of nooks and crannies for you to grab a book, read, study, or work on your laptop. (ps- Free WiFi) Even if you don't need to do work there or have time to read a book, you must stop in and go to the 10th floor to get great view of the city and take some fun photos. The escalators and elevators are a super fun bright yellow color (fun for pics) and the 4th floor is really awesome and red! Stop on in, it's a Seattle gem! read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - Escalator - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Can I live here?! This library is a beautiful, relaxing (quiet!!), and FREE way to spend an afternoon (or 200). As soon as you enter, there's a cafe and a large opening that showcases the escalators and towers of books, videos, and more. You can get visitor passes (to print, use the computer, etc) on the 5th floor. Taking the escalator up, there's some super funky 'art' video playing of a women's face, eyeball, and mouth. At the top, we were greeted by a staff member who's ready and waiting to answer any questions one might have (with some humor too). He explained how we could print something and it would only cost us $1,000. Since he'd take an IOU, we went over to the front desk to get a visitor pass. Love this staff member and every other one we interacted with...everyone was so helpful and nice. Highly recommend this library, I do think I'm in love. read more

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An excellent library right in the busy downtown area. Huge with reading areas and storeys of books. Staff is courteous as you see at most places like these. You will often notice people streaming videos using their mobiles, sometimes professional cameras both inside and outside. I say this to support my statement that this place indeed leaves visitors in a surprisingly excited state. An entire floor is dedicated for browsing along with kiosks each floor. Separate child library at the ground floor. It has huge kids collection and also has lot of board books that can be used as early learning stuff. Some amusement like building blocks etc is available for toddlers too. Ironically I didn't find some popular books on their collection. Many Asian genres missing too. I did place quite a few requests to add certain missing books to their library pool. The process to do so was user friendly; like everything else you could get done online e.g putting a book on hold, pickup renew etc. Strongly recommend this place, peek in even if you are not a book lover. read more

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This library was absolutely stunning. A real work of art. It's huge with about ten floors to explore. Their collection was ridiculously huge. There was something cool to check out on pretty much every floor. Do not miss their friends of the library bookstore which had so many cool things for sell. There was even a little hot drink place right next to it for you to enjoy. One of my favorite experiences from my entire vacation in Seattle. read more

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It wasn't just a library, it's a museum! read more

Seattle Public Library - Central Library - Libraries Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I love reading, and I love libraries - in fact, the first card I got when I moved to Seattle wasn't a Washington state ID, but a library card! The Central Branch of SPL is a behemoth of a building, with some pretty neat (but also questionable) architecture and decor. There are around 10 floors or so, with many of the lower levels having a completely different look and feel, including one floor with sofa-esque benches spread across a carpeted area for casual reading, and another that's painted in an awful and garish shade of blood red. Their collection of books is extensive, and, as with most city libraries, you can request copies from any neighborhood branch you want. While they have multiple copies of many of their popular books, some of the waiting lists are still incredibly long, which can lend to some difficulties when reading through a series. And as with most libraries, signing up for a card is free, and allows you to check out as many as 50 items (spread across books, CDs, DVDs, and so on). read more

Wow. I was left absolutely speechless upon arriving to this public LIBRARY? How is this place even real!!! The architecture is simply phenomenal...and 11 floors?!?!?! That one Red Room on the fourth floor is crazy. It almost feels like you're in an art piece or a giant futuristic honeycomb...the archive is incredible and everything is so clean and organized! Beautiful aspect of the city!! read more

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