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History of the Bellingham Public Library

by Neighborhood-Kids.com4/14/2008 4:09:29 PM

Fairhaven Library

Every year since 1958, the American Library Association celebrates the second full week in April as National Library Week. Neighborhood-Kids.com encourages local families to celebrate this event by learning a little bit about the history of Bellingham libraries.

Before the current library facilities were built, before the town of Bellingham even existed, there were two reading rooms organized in Fairhaven and New Whatcom in 1890 and 1891, respectively. During this time of settlement, reading rooms and libraries were important services to help people seeking an education. They also helped keep local loggers, miners, mariners, and railway men out of saloons.

In 1904, not long after the two cities consolidated to form the City of Bellingham, the Fairhaven Library received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation of over $15,000 for a new building. C.X. Larrabee donated a lot on 12th Street for the location, and the building was completed in 1905.

Carnegie Library Mural

The Bellingham Library bounced around the downtown area for several years, occupying various locations from 1891 to 1908. It spent several years at Magnolia Street and Dock (now Cornwall Avenue) until the city applied for another Carnegie grant. They were given $20,000 for the building, if the city supplied the lot. The corner of Commercial and Champion was chosen, despite its steep and rocky terrain. When the building was completed in 1908, it had a whopping 57 steps to climb. The inaccessible location, as well as Bellingham’s growing population, encouraged the library board to move towards finding a new setting for the downtown library branch.

In the post-WWII years, efforts were made to move the library to a new building in Bellingham’s “civic center” across from City Hall. The Central Branch opened for use in 1951. By 1953, the old Carnegie Building had been torn down and the terrain was leveled for a parking lot. But if you visit the corner where it used to be, you can see what the building looked like, as depicted in a mural by Lanny Little on the side of the Crown Plaza Building.

 Bellingham Central Library

Today both the Fairhaven Library and Bellingham Central Library continue serve its residents with extensive collections of books and multimedia, online resources, and friendly service. They hold regular events for families and are provide meeting places for other community organizations.
As plans for future library growth are developed, you’re invited to share your input. The Library Board of Trustees meets on the third Tuesday of each month in the Board Room of the Bellingham Public Library; these meetings are open to the public.

For more information about the Bellingham Libraries, check out the History of the Bellingham Public Library, compiled by Marian Sandsberry. You can also stop by the Central Library to see a photographic telling of the Library’s history on the stairwell. Or Ask a Librarian.