Lake City in northeast Seattle has two historic buildings landmarked for preservation, which represent the neighborhood’s long record of community activism.

Lake City began forming as a community in the early 1900s and one of its first organizing efforts was to provide a school for its children.   In 1912 residents collected signatures on a petition to the King County Superintendent of Schools to form their own Lake City School District.

Classes met in temporary locations until the new wood-frame school building opened in January 1914, on the north side of NE 125th Street between 27th to 28th Avenues NE, present site of the Lake City Branch Library.

In 1919 two more classrooms were added but by 1926 the Lake City School building was again too small.  Lake City was growing, and with it, there were lots of children.

Lake City started its own school in 1912 on the present site of the library, NE 125th Street between 27th and 28th Avenues NE.

Lake City plans for population growth 

In 1930 the Lake City School District purchased land on the south side of NE 125th Street at 26th Ave NE and commissioned architect Vas S. Stimson to design a larger school.  The district specified that the new building should be designed for potentially even more future expansion.  This was done by making space for wings to be added on the central, original building.

The classically designed, two-story masonry building had two subsequent additions by William Mallis (1883-1954), a well-known architect who also designed Maple Leaf School (1926), Jane Addams Junior High (1949), Nathan Eckstein Junior High (1950) and Pinehurst Elementary School (opened 1950, demolished 2014).

West entry of the Lake City School, now the Lake City Professional Center at 2611 NE 125th Street. Photo by Valarie.

The new Lake City School at 2611 NE 125th Street opened in 1931.   The beautiful building became a community center for meetings, movies and library services.

June 1934 newspaper notice.

Lake City had its own newspaper, The Victory Way Reporter, in the 1930s and it chronicled the organizing efforts of the community.  A June 1934 article told of an award to Mr. George B. Cundy for fourteen years of service on the Lake City School Board.  As a gift, Mr. Cundy was given a drawing done for the occasion by the original architect of the school building, Vas S. Stimson.

Vas Salisbury Stimson (1888-1956) was born in Boston and studied architecture at Cornell University, New York.  He came to Washington State in 1915 and first practiced architecture in Spokane, where he met fellow architect Earl Morrison (1888-1955).  Morrison had grown up in Spokane and after graduating from architectural studies, he returned to Spokane to practice.

Morrison & Stimson opened a Seattle office in 1920.  They accepted commissions all over Washington State, such as the Chelan County Courthouse in Wenatchee, the First American National Bank in Port Townsend, and the Everett Fire Station #2 at 2801 Oakes Avenue.

The Lake City Professional Center 

Looking westward along NE 125th Street at the former Lake City School, now called Lake City Professional Center at 2611 NE 125th Street. Photo by Valarie.

By 1970 the post-World-War-Two Baby Boom of children was over, and school enrollment declined in Seattle.  The Boeing Bust caused the decrease in Seattle population, which was less in 1970 than it had been in 1960.  Seattle began to close some school buildings as not needed.  In 1981, the decision was made to close the Lake City School.

Virgil Flaim Park, 2700 NE 123rd Street

In 1985 the southern half of the site (the former school playground) was sold to the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  The field at 2700 NE 123rd Street is now called Virgil Flaim Park, named for a Lake City community activist.

In 1986 the school building was renovated to become a professional office building.  In 2009 the City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board voted to designate the building for historic preservation as a Seattle landmark.  The criteria for this designation were the building’s significance to the heritage of the community, and the building’s architectural style.  This designation did not restrict the remodeling of the interior for offices.

The Lake City Branch Library

The history of Lake City’s school and library were in tandem as the two institutions grew up together.  The first library in Lake City was a dedicated room in the old wood-frame school building on the north side of NE 125th Street.

The present Lake City Branch Library at 12501 28th Ave NE was built in 1965 and was designated as a City of Seattle Landmark in 2001.

Lake City Branch Library, looking northward along 28th Ave NE. Photo by Valarie.

Like the school, Lake City’s library collection was first organized by the community itself.  As rooms were added onto the old original wood-frame school building, donated books began to be collected there and library hours were hosted by volunteers.

In 1954, all of Lake City finally came within the boundaries of the City of Seattle, set at NE 145th Street.  Then the City began to provide library services for Lake City.

The Lake City Lions Club was instrumental in acquisition of the present site of the library and adjacent space called Albert Davis Park (named for another leading citizen, unofficial mayor of Lake City.)  The park has lawns and a playground, and the plaza area is used for outdoor programs of the library, musical performances, outdoor movies and the weekly Farmers Market in season.

Looking eastward towards 28th Ave NE, Albert Davis Park and the plaza alongside the Lake City Branch Library (at right). October 2024, photo by Valarie.

Building the new library

The Lake City Branch Library building was designed by architect John Morse and opened in 1965.

John Morse (1911-2000) was born in Brookline, Massachusetts and studied architecture at Harvard University.  He came to Seattle in 1942.  His work included school buildings on the campuses of Western University in Bellingham, Central in Ellensburg and the University of Washington in Seattle.

Lake City Branch Library front entry facing 28th Ave NE. Photo by Valarie.

The Lake City Branch Library has received many design awards, and the beauty of the building was one of the criteria for its nomination as a historic landmark.

Architect John Morse designed the library to have thick walls to dampen the sound of traffic.  The walls are decorated with brick and softened with curved corners and low arched windows.  Load-bearing walls and overhead structural beams made it possible for the interior of the Lake City Library to be all open space, with no interior structural columns.

Courtyard entry and gates of the Lake City Branch Library. Photo by Valarie.

The Lake City Library’s entry courtyard with gates is unique among the branch libraries in Seattle. The gates for the entryway of the Lake City Branch Library were created in 1965 by Seattle artist George Tsutakawa (1910-1997).

Tsutakawa fountain at the downtown Seattle library

In 1960, Tsutakawa did a metal sculpture called the Fountain of Wisdom, for the downtown Seattle Public Library at 1000 Fourth Avenue.  It was during this time that Tsutakawa began transitioning his art projects from painting and sculpture to metalwork.

The courtyard gates at the Lake City Branch Library were the first gates designed and fabricated by George Tsutakawa.  At this turning point in his career in the 1960s, he became best known for metal sculptures including fountains.

Another set of metal gates that he created (1976) were at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle. In 2025 with the renovations at the downtown Seattle waterfront, a Tsutakawa fountain, called the Joshua Green, has been given a new placement in front of the ferry terminal.

Library building expansion and continued use

The Lake City Branch Library was expanded in 2005 by adding more space at the north end of the building.   A two-story structure was built so that a meeting room was created for the library on the ground floor, and on the second floor of the structure is the Lake City Customer Service Center.

Two-story addition at the north end of the original Lake City Library building. Photo by Valarie.

The Lake City Customer Service Center is a City of Seattle office where people can pay utility bills, open or close utility accounts, get applications and forms including voter registration, apply for a passport, and get info about City services and programs.  If you want to know who does what in the City of Seattle and who to contact about City issues, the service center is the place to go to get answers.

Sign at the corner of NE 125th Street & 28th Ave NE for the Lake City Branch Library and the City of Seattle Customer Service Center. Photo by Valarie.

A library at the heart of the community

Although the intersection of NE 125th Street & Lake City Way NE is the heart of Lake City’s commercial district, the library at the intersection of NE 125th Street and 28th Ave NE is the heart of community life in Lake City.  Meetings, story times and book clubs are held in the library meeting room.

Every Thursday afternoon during market season, 28th Ave NE is closed in front of the library so that a Farmers Market can set up.  During the market hours, activities for children, community outreach programs and musical performances are held on the plaza on the north side of the library.

The Thursday afternoon Farmers Market on 28th Ave NE in front of the Lake City Library. Photo by Valarie.

In 1957 Lake City’s activist Lions Club built a community center next door to the future library site.  The community center building was lost to a fire in 2023 and the building has been demolished.  In the summer of 2023 the annual community festival was still held, using 28th Ave NE in front of the library, and in the parking lot of the church on the corner of 27th & 125th as pictured below.

At this writing plans are underway for a new community center building at the same site on 28th next to the library, with programs managed by the Seattle Parks Department.   When finished, the new building will continue providing outreach and resources to Lake City.

Lake City’s annual summer festival features a salmon bake. For the festival the streets are closed at NE 125th Street, 27th & 28th Avenues NE. In the background we see the Lake City Professional Center building. Photo by Valarie.

Sources:

City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, Reports on Designation: Lake City Branch Library (2001) and Lake City School (2009).  These reports can be found on-line at the City of Seattle Historic Preservation page.

Don Sherwood Park History Sheets: Albert Davis Park (see below).

How did Lake City get its Name?  (article here on this blog)

Lake City Customer Service Center – 12525 28th Ave NE, phone 206-684-7526.

Seattle School Histories – Lake City School.

Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects, Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, Editor, 2014 edition. Seattle Public Library, 720.92279

Victory Way Reporter newspaper: copies in possession of the Shoreline Historical Museum.