North Yakima Public Library
When North Yakima received the Carnegie grant in 1903, the Yakima Library Association was a private circulating library. In January of 1904 all library property was transfered to the city of North Yakima and the North Yakima Public Library was created.The City Commission of North Yakima introduced an ordinance calling for a "free and public library financed by public tax moneys" in June, 1904; a month later the ordinance passed. Mayor O. A. Fechter appointed the following as the first Board of Trustees of the North Yakima Public Library:
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Mr. Richard Strobach, a local businessman
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Mr. Frederic C. Hall, businessman
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Mr. Homer P. James, a rancher
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Mr. John Rudkin, lawyer
- Mrs. W. W. Robertson, the wife of the president of the Republic Publishing Co.
On June 14th, 1904 a brief notice in the Yakima Republic announced
City Council Proposes an Ordinance Creating a Fund and a Body of Five to Govern Institution.
Before the city council Monday Night an ordinance was brought up for the creation of a public free library in this city. It provides for the creation of a fund of not less than $1000 a year to maintain the institution and for five trustees to be appointed by the mayor for a term of five years without compensation. Their terms of office for the first appointment are to be for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years respectively, the appointees deciding by lot whose term shall expire on the corresponding years. By this method the term of one trustee will expire each year. The ordance was laid over till the next meeting.
Ordinance No. 401 was approved July 11, 1904 by a vote of 5 to 1.
Even today Carnegie Libraries are easily recognized by their classic form. The North Yakima Public Library was designed by the architectural firm of Bebb and Mendel, but the design was based on one of 6 basic layouts recommended to communitees seeking grants from Carnegie.
The main floor of the library was built of Port Angeles stone and pressed brick, and provided 2,133 square feet of space, with a full basement below. An additional 1,156 square feet were added in 1919.
The library exterior was a restrained Neo-classical style that promoted function and utility. Typical of Carnegie libraries built in the early 20th century, The North Yakima Public Library had a flight of stairs and a prominent light at the front entry, symbolizing elevation and enlightenment through learning.
Hand written accounts of contractor's billing and payments made by the Board of Trustees are located in the Yakima Valley Libraries Archives. Shown here is the account of A. F. Switzer, the contractor who did the cement, tile, plastering, and other masonry work on the North Yakima Public Library.
Invitation to the opening ceremonies for the North Yakima Public Library , Friday evening, April 26th , 1907.
1907 Librarian's Annual Report to the Board of Trustees by Bessie C. Hall
I have the honor to submit my report for the year ending September 1, 1907, the third annual report of the North Yakima Public Library.
Of course the great event of the year was the opening of the new Carnegie library building on the evening of April 26. There were 175 visitors the first day after the opening, and 112 books taken out. The building proves very satisfactory in every way, except perhaps, the small size of the reference room. There has been a great increase in the number using the library since the removal, although it is a block away from Yakima Avenue, showing that they appreciate the attractiveness of the reading rooms.
A view of the north side of the North Yakima Public Library, circa 1940s. The landscaping has matured and a sidewalk added to allow access from the north side. The section added in 1919 is behind the large tree on the left side of the photo.
The 1919 one story addition provided 1,156 more square feet of space. The plans were drawn up in 1917 by local architect W.W. Deveaux, but construction was delayed by World War I.
When the North Yakima Public Library opened on April 26th, 1907, the children's room was located in the basement, as show in the top, left photo. Picture books, story hours for pre-schoolers, and "read-aloud classics" on Saturday afternoons were popular features of the new library.
When the library addition was built in 1919 the children's room was moved upstairs. The photo on the left was taken in the North Yakima Public Library children's room in 1937.
When the Yakima Library Association applied for their Carnegie grant in 1900, there were 3,154 people living in North Yakima. Three years after the library opened, there were 14,082 residents. The city was fast outgrowing the new library.
In 1912 the Board of Trustees wrote to Mr. Carnegie, requesting additional funds to expand the library. A $5,000 grant was awarded, but construction was delayed by World War I and an influenza epidemic. The long awaited addition was completed in January of 1920.
These photos of the interior of Yakima's Carnegie Library date from the late 1940s to the early 1950s.