An iconic building in Seattle. The Seattle Public Library is modern, sofisticated and pretty beautiful both outside and inside. Even if you are just passing through is recommended the visit. The sunlight that comes from the exterior through the glass ceiling makes the scene awesome.

Easily the most beautiful library. I recommend you to add this on the list if you plan to travel to Seattle.No library card is needed to enter.The red room gives a Sci-Fi vibe. Could offer a much needed respite after walking around in Pike market or the busy downtown area.

One star for design. I love the SPL but the bldg not at all. The stacks are functional and I think the librarians like them but the design is harsh and cold. I call it the passive aggressive building. I call the west elevation the soylent green factory (watch from the plaza across the street slightly more welcoming than that of the library building).

I cannot speak to the collection of books itself but the architecture alone makes the Seattle library one of the best I have ever visited. The architecture alone of this eleven story massive building is awe inspiring. A must see when visiting Seattle m- you will be blown away by its vast glass windows and all encompassing views of the city. The inside and outside are equally worth wandering.

It is a remarkable building. Beautiful, technically incredible, and iconically unique.Honestly a destination for architecture fans, as its use of air pressure at various heights to help cool the building was highly innovative at the time of construction.It can be peopled by some unsavory characters occasionally, but theyre respectful, quiet, and unobtrusive.I say come take a look. Its unique and beautiful.

Overall I loved this place. A few minor complaints that can easily be dealt with. First of all the lovely glass gave the whole place a nice warm feeling, if there was any sun EVER. Secondly the whole place was filled with highly burnable material. Lastly, everywhere I looked there were people reading books, like who does that. Overall three stars!

As an architecture student bombarded with photos of this building, it was actually really fun and interesting to see it up close. Seeing it in person was a whole different experience, it’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. The inside was also really nice too. It’s basically one big atrium so I’m surprised it wasn’t as hot as I thought it’d be. Take the time to walk around and maybe even consider taking a tour.

We r tourist to Seattle and the kids needed a break so we ventured to the library. The children’s section here is amazing compared to our small town library. It was a perfect place for the kids to unwind and recenter. We left much happier then when we entered.

This is a very well resourced public library with a wonderful and inviting section for the kids. Spacious and well laid out. Thoroughly recommended for little people to broaden their horizons and spend some time here.

Upon walking up to the library, you are just taken aback by the beautiful architecture of this building, already. The librarys structure is so inviting and calls you in, really. Loved the layout of it. Such a great, free resource for the city. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the library was extremely clean and well kept. They had a red hallway that wasnt there when my friend was last here, which made for some fun photo ops. The tall glass windows were beautiful and added a little something extra to the ambience of the place. Beautiful, peaceful everything a library should be.

A wonderful piece if architecture in the middle of the city. Very large, spacious, and broken up into 10 stories.The main floors are going to have a lot of tourist and visitors, so if you are actually trying to study and work, this might not be a good area to work. But since there are so many floors and the place is large, itll be easy to find a quiet place.

One of Seattles most amazing sites, the building itself is if course absolutely spectacular, inside and out, and its worth taking a fair bit of time to explore the interior, because theres an absolute ton of cool and quirky details spread throughout the building, and no two spaces inside are the same.The library itself is also amazing, with an enormous and broad collection, in good condition. Of particular note is the foreign language collection, which is good even for some less common languages. They have a much larger collection of Japanese fiction than any other American library Ive looked in.The only real downside is that I think theres a relative lack of good seating and study spaces, but I suppose their are reasons for this given the social realities of an American city.

Why a dynamic group of visitors at this library? Half of the attendees are legitimately here to conduct their study and the other half are the homeless of Seattle, charging their phones and enjoying the free newspapers and magazines. Apart from the amazing architecture, a browse around the floors will give you a very good cross section of Washington State.

This review Is based on the wonderful librarians at Seattle Public Library-Central Library. Located in the pumping heart of Los Angeles on 4th and Flower.

Great selection of books, easy to use computer location system, easy to place holds and pick up wherever i am in the city. no more late fees! but they will suspend your account if you go too long without bringing a book back, i recently learned lol bit its the best, i have my favorite locations, but the central always has presentations and the best selection.

Centrally located Public Library right in the heart of downtown Seattle, very near all transit and several parking garages. This stunning display of architecture is a beautiful centerpiece of the otherwise skyscraping business district.There are many grand, expansive reading rooms, as well as a great number of cozy nooks throughout the building. The library is kept as a very nice, quiet environment for reading and studying. There is a no cell phone rule, that I believe is observed by most everyone.I really enjoyed checking out the map room in one of the top floors. If you go in the evening, youll have many rooms and aisles to yourself. And many of the reading nooks are quite private, while providing a nice view of the surrounding architecture.This is a great stop if youre touring around downtown on foot. I was here in February, and it was a lovely place to warm up and read a little. A lot of people seem to avoid the library because of the homeless folks who frequent it, but theyre the public too, and I had no negative interactions with anyone. It was a clean, quiet and comfortable environment.

Knowledge is power. Apparently Im the almighty. Thanks Seattle Public Library

Downtown parking can be tricky if you dont come here often. Library parking lot can be accessed from Spring St. It is only one level with very tight parking spaces. Also couple stalls available for EV cars. Rates are reasonable. However, there are many reserved spaces blocked for monthly payees

Let’s you sign up for a lib card online for faster pickup at any library branch in Seattle. Really nice place. Quiet with plenty of workspace. Next to the Austin Central Library, this is the second best lib zone I’ve ever visited.

Wonderful building to visit during the day and the night view is gorgeous. I recommended the following: (1) explore every floor by taking the escalator and stairs (2) try the free self-guided cell phone tour of the Central Library; asked the front desk for instructions. (3) visit shop from the 5th Ave entrance.

I love well maintained public services that not only bring culture but provide it in an friendly manner. Seattles Central Public Library is this. I came here with my nephew who wanted some Calvin & Hobbes plus a book for school. It was an easy friendly experience. Heres my breakdown.- Location was nicely located downtown, although downtown is a nightmare for driving (in my opinion) we managed fine. Parking was down below the library and while not a bad price, $4 for 30 minutes or so, it was tight spacing. Im glad it was there and glad it wasnt more expensive.- Facility is well maintained and loaded with spaces to read, study, play a game and hang out. Obviously loads of books including some older relics upstairs. I also really enjoyed the unique architecture and top floor balcony you could see to the ground floor from.- Customer Service was great. All staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. We got our books and strolled around for awhile just enjoying the place.- Services were good. While Id like to see more up to date computers I understand money for projects like this can be tight and the computers get the job done. The books were there and boy were there options!- Pricing... Its a library. Its free! Unless you have overdue books.If you didnt read the above: good location, great facility, friendly people and good services. We completed our errand and enjoyed ourselves while there. A great library that likely has your book.

I loved the architecture of this library and its rustic interior. Dont forget to check out the upper floor; I bet it is a nice place to read a book when the sun shines through.

The staff here never EVER fail to go above and beyond where. It comes to helping me find whatever topic is my current obsession. They are always up to speed in terms of alternative resources to check out, whether or not the alternatives are library affiliated or not. I have also noticed that they offer additional help for free on things like filing taxes and general computer courses, as well as courses on more challenging things such as working with Adobe and Microsoft Office. Theres not a whole lot that the library cannot either directly help with or at least point you in the right direction!

Amazing architecture outside and inside. Unique layout which provides conviniencies. Brilliant work!

The best looking library I’ve ever been to! This is a truly beautiful library and definitely worth visiting even if you aren’t going to read.

Very unique architecture. Their public bathroom is frequently occupied, so those who need to visit here might have to check other facilities too.

Very cool atmosphere, nice people too. Dont like the whole reading thing though so I just go in and stare at the pages and smell them.

To be honest, I dont think 5 stars cover how amazing this 11-story library of heaven is. The design, inside and out, is AMAZING. Theres reading rooms, places to work on school work, friendly staff, and lots of BOOKS! The library card policies are more than reasonable and theres a cafe inside too. I wish I could come here every day. If youre going to Seattle, you MUST come here:D

The building has a very relaxed, modern style with so many giant open spaces that it never feels crowded, even when there must be at least a thousand people.A wonderful piece if architecture in the middle of the city. Very large, spacious, and broken up into ten stories.It is spacious, strong in the number of books, definitely comfortable.

Absolutely wonderful! One of the must see in Seattle and the entry is for free, what could it be better?. I think this is one of the best buildings of OMA. The place is very luminous because of his glass coverture that also allows wonderful views of the city as you goes up. Inside, you have a low level ( 4th street) with a child’s collection and play area with hard cover books and toys, some days they perform puppets shows also. In the main level (at 5th street) is located one of the entries, a small gift shop, an open hall, teens collection, a small coffee shop and stairs/ elevator towards upper levels. The second level is a kind of mezzanine over the main floor, with reference collection.The following levels contain the general collection, magazines, and the most of books in a building inside the building that is call the spiral and you can go up by the ramp, a mechanic stair or the elevator. The spiral finishes in a level with a computers rooms, a closed place for valued books, a lecture room and some administrative offices. From the upper level you have a complete view over the library because theres no closed rooms, and you can appreciate the complex geometry that covers the building like a glass skin. Wonderful experience on the top of architecture.

Still closed because of Covid-19.Looks amazing

Love the building. What other city has a 10 story library in downtown? The natural light and open spaces are in perfect harmony. Internet speed is unparalleled. Homeless people keep to themselves and the city is devoting a lot of resources to help them.

Stop following me didnt give you permission to do this

Marvelous! I am from Oly, but I loved spending a few hours here. The building is remarkable, as others have mentioned. But one of its greatest features is how it can hold and serve so many people and still be a place of quiet and calm. This is a very well used library, but it is clean, uncrowded and accessible to all. Well done Seattle!

This should definitely be on one’s itinerary for a long, unwinding vacation. Its impressive for its Unique architecture, massive scale, design aesthetics, view points, collection, capacity to read, work with best in classs infrastructure! Well done Seattle city government.

One of the coolest and prettiest library I have been to. It is definitely worth a visit when you are in Seattle. They also have live piano concert and many events throughout the month.

If youre looking for something to do that is free around downtown Seattle, Id recommend that you stop by Seattle Public Library-Central Library. The exterior of the library doesnt scream beautiful architecture but the inside looks amazing. On the top floor, the glass structure is reminiscent of I.M. Peis Louvre Museums Pyramids. I like looking up at the glass, it is pretty darn magnificent.If you go to the top level, youll go through this elevator tunnel. Design wise, it looks pretty nice with the yellow lights. It kind of makes me feel like Im 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 youre afraid of heights, dont gaze down.The Seattle Public Library-Central 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!

The building is amazing.You can go in and buy a coffe.They have an amazing view.

The building is beautiful inside and out because of the amazing windows & lightness; however, I didn’t feel very welcomed or comfortable once inside. There was limited seating and most of it was taken by homeless people sleeping sitting upright. I wanted to see the view from the top floor, but unfortunately there was a homeless man laying right on the floor, so I missed that. A satisfactory place to check out a book, but not to spend time in.

Massive library, beautifully designed. Very helpful staff, will be coming back. Highly recommended!

Fun building. Spiral is a cool concept. Enjoy the picture possibilities.

Beautifully designed building. I just visited as a tourist, design and architecture enthusiast. It is a huge and very bright space. Very impressive building, easy to navigate. It is also very quiet considering that it’s all pretty much one open space.

This library is enormous!It has everything you could want. Not only is it a library but it also is known for its unique architecture, you quickly notice this as you step into the lobby. The 4th floor is completely red! How fun :).You can check out a book, movie, music or get lost in the amazing architecture. If this isnt for you, the Library hosts several classes to learn a new skill or maybe get better at a skill.

Incredible! The building itself is beautiful inside and out. The 10th floor viewpoint can’t be beat.

The library carries almost any book you can imagine but the staff is rude. I was repeatedly told to be quiet when I was practicing my rapping.

Cool library!

It was great to have a place to escape to in the middle of a busy day of sightseeing downtown Seattle. The design of the building is very unique, and we went up to the top floor for the views. We also stopped by the rare book collection and the amazing librarian allowed us to read an illustrated copy of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe from the 1800s!

Huge! Plenty of space to read. Interior design is incredible. I see why so many smart people come from Seattle. If you provide the right environment, they will grow!

The outside of the building alone is amazing because of the architecture and colors. On the inside, it is a great place to kick back and do whatever you want. There are homeless inside, but they do not disturb anything and it has a very cool, calm vibe coming from all directions. When you go higher, the views are even better than from the outside where you can see the city and building all in one.

Seattle Public Library-Central Library is a beautiful library at the heart of downtown Seattle. Its a great place to take your architecture nerds and out-of-town friends on a rainy day. Theres plenty of seating, so you can chill after a day of walking around downtown Seattle and then head over to Sazerac down the street for happy hour or to Frolik on 5th Ave if its a sunny summer day. When I was working at Disney (across the street), they used to have big company meetings at the auditorium here at the SPL.Being a local, I think I take the Seattle Public Library for granted. They have a lot of great resources for business and market research purposes and the librarians are always happy to help you with your research. Did you know that they have a click to chat feature on their website? You can chat with a Seattle Librarian during business hours but you can chat with a real, live librarian from other places 24/7, 365 days a year! Thats better customer experience than what youll get from most Fortune 100 companies. They also do workshops and fun seasonal things, like Seahawks themed library cards.As with any public library, youll see a lot of homeless people here during the day. I would totally be here too if I were them.

A unique building for sure. Worth visiting, but not enough new books were available in some of the areas that I visited to do research. It was a disappointment because the building itself is more progressive than the content of the books.It other words outdated books that are almost irrelevant in this day and age.The Library needs to ask big corporations for donations to maintain itself!

The Architecture of this building is Phenomenal. Inside the library has some mini stores that you can grab some light snacks and drinks while hanging out in the building. Friendly staff and tons of space for you to do your reading time. I dont suggest bring your car as parking here is so horrible. You better commute to prevent hassles. I highly recommend this place for studying and have some silent time to do your work

Great library with an awesome staff of librarians. If you enjoy reading, the Central Library gives you more than a couple areas to sit and crack open a book you picked from the many aisles of books to wander around and get lost in.Side note, being one of the funkiest buildings Ive ever been to, its a great destination if you are looking to photograph some interesting architecture or abstract angles this is a popular spot.

Such an amazing piece of Architecture. Love and appreciate every bit and corner of the building. The scale, details, materials, lights & shadows, angles, various heights, bold colors, the harmony of organic and geometric shapes, artistic media displays, ramp path around the core connecting the floors at once and a lot more playful elements throughout. As public library it truly embraces everyone in the city who need space for studying, reading and resting in various and dynamic setups. The staff was also very helpful and friendly. Ended up visiting the building twice during our 5 day-stay in the city as it was simply the best place to be in.

Biggest is best when its the central library where you can check out 50 items at a time.

To say unusual architecture is an understatement. The exterior alone is worth the trip to the location but, the views from the inside even more so. It has anything you might want in a library. Excellent selection of books, places to study, helpful staff and even a coffee/lunch area with comfortable seating. To make it even better there is of course no admission fee. A wonder!

I love this library, it has a very modern architecture and ample spaces to read and work concentrated

Really abundant resources of books and videos. The environment is spacious and comfortable. The building itself is beautiful. On the highest level, you can have a good view of the city.

The library is sooo beautiful. There are a lot of seats available (maybe it is a holiday).

Great place to find some unique stuff. I like their the calm atmosphere here. They displayed the book in good manner. We can find great stuff to read because of the amazing collection. Perfect place for book lovers.

This place has 10 floors of library - the highest viewpoint is really interesting

Wish they had more parking space free for Library users. Otherwise a good spacious library with a good kids area.

Very nice and very good library! Wonderful design and architecture! Me and my wife very likely the place! We have a lot of pictures from the place!

I actually loved this place. They dont kick out homeless people.

Classic OMA design, reinventing program, especially the book spiral.

Beautiful structure. Helpful courteous informed staff

Lovely building with so many great resources, reading spaces, and viewpoints. I love getting out of the office and working here for an afternoon.

Not 1 person has taken their sweet time to explain the written and unwritten rules. There arent less than enoughs books, papers, & audio for 100 people to read in a dang life time. There is no warning of the staff being funnier on most weekends which they now work through. To top it all off they have a staditorium taking up very valuable space and you have to hop a fence and hide to not get removed. If I could give it 7/10 stars I would but there are only 5 so instead of 4/5 which is what a 7/10 would be, its a duc.

This is the biggest and best looking library Ive ever visited. Kudos to American government for spending such huge amount on libraries. This library has a unique spiral structure and lots of good views and natural light at the top floor. However, compared to San Francisco Bay area libraries, this library seemed to have less opportunities to do volunteering activities. Also, no 3d printers etc but people can rent laptops temporarily.

Beautiful architecture and very helpful staff!

My fav library，great collection in art nd any other field nd most importantly， its increditablly beautiful

These are the escalators inside the book spiral.The longest , Ive ever seen. And the floor plan.

Iconic OMA/LMN architecture right in the middle of downtown Seattle. Gorgeous and audacious from every angle.

The library is so nice with impressive architecture and outstanding staffs. I enjoy visiting here every week.

An amazing project for Seattle. Most of us probably have visited this library, if not for books or library material, at the least to satisfy curiosity and establish like or dislike. That is probably for the exterior form and surfaces.Move on into interiors only to discover its strikingly different and probably found friendlier than the exterior. And remarkably unique as one moves from floor to floor.Almost 18 years later now, its interiors are holding up pretty well and still could faw attention. Materials, colors, forms, play of surfaces, opacity and transparency, shapes and angles, it all adds to one’s experiences. Images of construction phase certainly can help Architectrual elements behind surfaces.

This building really is beautiful and a really amazing piece of architecture. Its 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.

Great space to kill some time while in the city. There is a coffee shop, outlets, and seating. Check out the view from the 10th floor. Quiet place to take a moment, charge your phone, and enjoy the architecture.

A world class city needs a world class library. Seattle delivers with the funky, airy and HUGE Rem Koolhaas beehive. Worth a visit to see the architecture, to get in out of the rain or, shoot, even to check out some books.

Had an amazing experience visiting the library. Wonderful design and architecture, felt like I could spend a whole day in there just sitting and reading.

Beautiful place to get some cloudy reflective pics. There is also a nice friendly coffee shop on the 2nd floor that makes a creamy cup of hot chocolate.

I enjoy all my adventures of the intricately designed downtown Seattle Library with a quick stroll through Freeway Park on Madison Ave.TheRealInternetMan

I absolutely adore this library! This place is huge! Architecturally its very impressive. Its clean, quiet .Biggest is best when its the central library where you can check out 50 items at a time.

Wonderful library, magnificent architecture

Amazing architecture, glass and steel. Take the escalators to the 10th floor for the highest viewpoint.

As beautiful and inspiring as a library should be. check out the red floor!

This place is legit as it gets. They have everything a public Library should: books, people, computers for mindless video games, over the top architecture, t-shirts, and even the homeless scattered throughout. But, lets be real - as a public building with free access, youre going to see all walks of life. And you should. A good library is a place of higher learning and it should be accessible to everyone. This just happens to be one of the most amazing ones youll ever visit. They have tons of room to sit for probably thousands, random impromptu classes (pretty much anything you can imagine), a large theatre, and about a zillion instagramable photo opportunities.

Large selction of books and videos. Building is beautiful

The library is huge and has a Chocolati coffee stand that also sells chocolates and some nutritious food items as well. The space is well-lit and comfortable, and Ive used it as a remote work location. I would suggest that if you do work or study here, you bring headphones. Theres a woman sitting across from me whos been mumbling about Rice Krispies for the last half hour, but my Spotify app is saving me from having to listen to it.

Pretty nice library here; I really don’t see why its historic? It looks freaking brand new!

Great place. In Seattle, one of my favorite places.

This was one of the largest libraries I have ever seen. The layout of it was very cool, I would go there again if I had time.

This library has it all, even a cafe. Plenty of seating, over 45 public internet computers available for use, and an observation deck on the 10th floor.

Piece of art. Amazing architecture and mood to focus on your job. There are lots of homeless, but they do not disturb the quietness of the place.

One of the most beautiful and architecturally fascinating libraries Ive ever been to. Massive, with lots of tables and study rooms for visitors. Lots of great artwork sprinkled throughout. Childrens section is especially fun.

Wow. Amazing architecture with 11 floors filled! There are desks and different areas of noise levels.

Its designed like no other library I have seen

Wish more libraries had a reading room like this one!

This place is huge! Architecturally its very impressive. Its clean, quiet (of course) with plenty of work space on each floor. Its a really neat place to go and walk around, explore whats there. The amount of info available is pretty amazing, when you really look around.

The Seattle public library has a lot to offer the community. From their broaf book selection to the ample study space, this is a place to come learn and be inspired

Once upon a time I met a man that knew exactly what he wanted and was confident in each decision he made and never doubted his miss fortune rather he looked at it as a learning opportunity and the only aspect of his life that was missing was a companion and there came along his soulmate which would tear down every idea he ever had about how things should be rather gave him a new perspective on relationships and memories being more important... and then my Uber arrived and I didn’t finish reading the book ... but if you’re looking for a good read and a amazing structure please stop by it’s a great library