
Seattle Central Library (USA) – description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
In the largest city in the state of Washington, since 1890, a network of 28 reading rooms has been operating, led by the Seattle Central Library. Since 2004, it has been housed in an incredibly futuristic-designed building designed by deconstructivist architecture star Rem Koolhaas, creator of the House of Music in Porto and the new building of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow.
Libraries today are not just book depositories, but the cornerstones of democracy, which is impossible without free and open access to knowledge.
Deborah Jacobs, Chief Librarian of Seattle
What to watch
The heap of dark glass volumes on a powerful steel frame caused an ambiguous reaction from the city public, in the media it was called crumpled origami. But the indignation quickly subsided after it turned out that the library’s interior space is very functional. The Book Spiral rises to a height of 56 m – a single ramp lined with shelves with 1.5 million copies of books, magazines, newspapers and sound recordings. See topschoolsoflaw for brief history of Colorado.
There is no usual division by topic; visitors have free access to the shelves. All materials are equipped with electronic RFID tags, listed in a single catalog, computers for searching are located on the 10th tier, above it there are reading rooms with work tables, sofas and a magnificent view of the city through transparent walls.
The interior is decorated with numerous art objects, the lights are turned on in the evening, and the glass facades shine with all the colors of the rainbow.
The two lower floors are occupied by cozy cafes and children’s rooms, there is parking in the basement, and free Wi-Fi throughout the library.
Practical Information
Address: Seattle, Fourth Avenue, 1000.
How to get there: by bus number 12 to the stop. Madison St & 4th Ave.
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 20:00, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00. The entrance is free.
Fremont Troll
Fremont Troll (Seattle, USA) — description, history, location, reviews, photos and videos.
It would seem that what can be in common between the Scandinavian saga and the American city, which is famous for its space skyscraper and fish market? But there is, and this is nothing more than the Fremont Troll – a giant sculpture of an unpleasant-looking monster that crawls out under the bridge into the light of day in search of profit. How exactly this “fool” fell under the Seattle bridge is another story.
Just in 1990, the city administration held a competition for the improvement of a piece of land under and next to the bridge. It must be said that the matter was not in vain, since at that time it was a scary garbage dump under the bridge, where they liked to “scrub” illegal drugs and do other kinds of dark deeds. No sooner said than done, the competition was held, but the winner was a talented four from Seattle, who decided to put a troll under the bridge. Traditional Scandinavian fun.
Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead are the names of the parents of the Seattle troll, who built their offspring in the Fremont area under the Aurora Bridge. They didn’t bother much with the material for modeling, they planned to give the troll a brutal, harsh look, so they settled on banal building materials – concrete, steel, metal cables.
By the way, the total weight of the Fremont Troll, named after the area, reaches 2 tons, and the height is 5.5 meters. In his hand, the monster holds a real Volkswagen Beetle car, painted in a theme similar to the sculpture. Instead of one of the eyes, the troll has a shiny cap from a car wheel. They say that you can even climb on it and put your hand in the eye without hesitation – there is other construction rubbish lying around, reminiscent of the past of this place.
The total weight of the Fremont Troll, named after the area, reaches 2 tons, and a height of 5.5 meters. In his hand, the monster holds a real Volkswagen Beetle.
The best time to visit the Fremont Troll is during the day, as the monument is not illuminated and you may not see anything in the evening. Sometimes, under the bridge, a resident of the Scandinavian latitudes arranges all sorts of parties and art installations, during which the troll is illuminated, music is turned on and they have cultural fun. For more information about these types of events, visit the Seattle Tourist Information Office.
How to get there
The Fremont Troll is located on 36th Street in Seattle, under the Aurora Bridge (some sources call it the George Washington Bridge). Exact address: Fremont Troll, Aurora Ave.