The Bellevue Library, now the largest branch in the King County Library System (KCLS), recently marked its 100th year. The library began in late 1925 with a collection of roughly 300 donated books and operated in a small rented room at the back of Parrish’s Café on Main Street. It was founded by members of the Bellevue Women’s Club and staffed entirely by volunteers.
During its early decades, the library moved several times. It operated out of donated spaces, an old schoolhouse, and later the rebuilt Bellevue Clubhouse beginning in 1935. On February 5, 1944, the library joined the newly formed KCLS network as its fifth branch, which shifted responsibility for the collection and operations to the county system.
When Bellevue became a city in 1953, the city government took responsibility for maintaining the library building while continuing to contract with KCLS for services, staff, and materials. The growing population led to a series of moves into larger facilities: a bank basement space in 1957, a remodeled church on Main Street in 1961, and a purpose-built library next to City Hall in 1967.
The current Bellevue Library building opened in 1993. The three-story, glass-accented facility totals more than 80,000 square feet and remains the largest branch in the KCLS system.
Designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca, the building emphasizes natural light through large windows and skylights. The first floor includes children’s areas, adult fiction, media, and service desks. The Bellevue Library’s collection includes more than 600,000 physical volumes.
Bellevue Library also offers a wide range of public services and spaces, including a Makerspace with equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and sewing machines. The branch provides meeting and study rooms, public computers, printers, Wi-Fi, a piano, and a book drop. It hosts special collections and participates in KCLS programs such as the Welcoming Center for immigrants.
The Bellevue Library continues to serve as a major public resource, reflecting the city’s growth and the expanding role of library services in the community.
And now doubles as a homeless shelter! Really disappointed how downhill this branch has gone. Shopping carts, mattresses, cardboard boxes. Where’s the police? Where’s the city council?
Can’t drop off your kids there, though, like my parents did. It’s not safe. Homeless openly drink liquor and nap on the couches. Surf the internet for porn. Such a shame.
I am a retired, almost six-year resident of Bellevue who has literally lived all over the country. When my family has moved over the last five decades evaluating the local library is an important consideration. With that introduction, I truly do not understand the criticisms from other commenters.
I spend on average one afternoon a week in the library which, in my estimation, is one of the best for its size I’ve ever experienced. Yes, there are typically a small handful (3-5?) of individuals who may or may not be “homeless” but are certainly experiencing difficult times and may be using the library as a temporary sanctuary. So what? In my experience they aren’t bothering a soul and contrary to what one observer claims I have never observed alcohol intake inside the library.
Let’s try and practice a modicum of tolerance, folks. A library is by definition a destination for everyone in a community, not just for those who are of a certain social or economic strata.