Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Item
Title
TPL-4083
Date(s)
- 1893 (Creation)
Extent
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
ca. 1893. Tacoma Public Library on 5th floor of Old City Hall. The Tacoma Public Library moved to more spacious quarters on the fifth floor of (Old) City Hall, 625 Commerce St., in 1893. There was room for 20,000 volumes although the library at that time contained only a fraction of that amount, about 1000. Tall ceilings and large rooms that were tastefully decorated, including a cheerful room set aside as a women's reading space, provided patrons with a comfortable library atmosphere. Bookcases were mostly placed against the walls leaving a clear space for reading tables and display cases. Among the many paintings and wall decor at the library was an oil painting of City Librarian William Curtis Taylor who was its first librarian. It is pictured above at left center. Over 1300 people checked out books regularly out of a total of 1434 members. Membership had increased by 1100 during the year. (TDL 5-3-1893-article)
Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1890-1900; Bookcases--Tacoma; Books; Showcases;