Walk a Descending Book Spiral Inside Seattle’s Glass Library
Ride to the tenth floor above the Living Room, then follow changing daylight through an eleven storey landmark.
📚 Start Ten Floors Up
Seattle Central Library turns a downtown book stop into an architectural detour at 1000 Fourth Avenue. A faceted glass exterior frames a sequence of vertical volumes. Rem Koolhaas helped design the eleven storey flagship, which opened in 2004. Take the elevator to the tenth floor overlook above the Living Room and look down toward the third floor before heading into the collection.
The nonfiction shelves follow a continuous descending spiral, giving your walk through the books its own gradual change of level. Red floors work as wayfinding through the building, while shifting daylight and shadows alter the interior through the day. There is generous seating and public study space when you want to settle in rather than keep moving.
Plan around hours of 10 AM to 6 PM on Monday and Friday to Sunday, and 10 AM to 8 PM Tuesday to Thursday.
