Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Carnegie Libraries of Washington
Cities S - Z
Seattle
West Seattle Branch
Green Lake Branch
Yesler Branch
Ballard Branch
University Branch
Georgetown Branch & City Hall
I like your pluck.
--Andrew Carnegie, pertaining to the 1901, post-fire, grant request
Although I don't yet have the measurements to prove it, I suspect the 1901 Seattle Carnegie library was one of the nation's largest. The grant, which included four of the branch libraries shown above, totaled $430,000.
Unfortunately, the main building was one of the least attractive/imaginative.
(L) E.P. Charlton card.
(R) Mailed in 1911.
(L) Another E.P. Charlton & Co. card. its caption:
Public Library, Seattle Washington, Cost $300,000, contains 85,000 volumes
(R) Curt Teich 'C.T. Photochrom,' published in 1917.Neither of these cards was ever mailed.
If the above is accurate, all the other branches cost $130,000 combined.
Spokane
According to the Spokane Public Library's website, this Carnegie library was built in 1904 and outgrown in 1961. The building is still standing, in use as the offices of Integrus Architects.
A Carnegie-funded branch building is a court reporter's office.
Photo postcard, manufacturer unknown.
(L) For Washington Paper & Stationery Company by Spokane Lithography. Entire back.
(R) Inland Printing Company card.
Sunnyside
Built from a 1910 Carnegie grant, this was demolished in 1964. The building seems to lack a functional basement floor.
(L) Photo postcard, by Wesley-Andrews.
(R) Amid the clutter is a Collier's magazine
Card from the Cardinell-Vincent Company of San Francisco.
Tacoma
(L) Central News Co. card, with entire back, mailed in 1907.
(R) Issued for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific (1909) Exposition. Never mailed.
1901 grant. Still in use, adjacent to a whole new library.
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Late 1903 grant. Replaced. Reused as (yet another) Carnegie Arts Center.
This Sprouse & Sons card is odd. It almost looks as if a German printer tried to make the Carnegie building look like a Prairie style building. Also, there's a strange occurrence of extra punctuation .
Wenatchee
1909 Carnegie grant. Now the Wenatchee, Washington Department of Parks and Recreation.
Postcard printed by Curt Teich for J.L. Robbins.
Yakima
Occasionally I don't know where to place a given library. Bobinski doesn't state there was a grant, and neither does the Wikipedia page. However, the Yakima Valley System's history page mentions a 1903 grant of $10,000, and a 1907 new library dedication. The grant date coincides with that for North Yakima, although the latter date does not.
(L) Robbins-Tillquist postcard, printed askew.
(R) Photo postcard, unknown printer.
