History

Serving Ravenna since 1945

In 1945, members of the Ravenna Community Club went door-to-door to raise $3,000 for a library station. The group rented a small space, which the Library equipped and staffed. The Ravenna-View Ridge deposit station opened in December 1945.

The station was heavily used and needed a permanent branch. The City Council added $492,000 to the 1953 budget to buy a bookmobile and build three branches. That budget included the Northeast Branch, which opened June 3, 1954.

Architecture

Designed by the father of PNW architectural modernism

Exterior view of the Northeast Branch
Exterior view of the Northeast Branch

The expanded Northeast Branch is the 10th branch to open under the "Libraries for All" building program. Paul Thiry, a prominent Seattle architect, designed the original award-winning building. The Miller|Hull Partnership designed the addition and it was built by Graham Contracting Ltd.

Named spaces

Spaces named for donors include:

The Jodi Green and Mike Halperin Children's Area, the Faye G. Allen Reading Area and the Fred and Barbara Guptill Meeting Room.