The Seattle Public Library’s Broadview Branch (12755 Greenwood Ave.) is celebrating its 50th, and everyone is invited to join in! On Thursday, Jan. 22, at 5 p.m. attend a 1970s listening party that takes a musical trip back to Broadview’s first years – 70s games will also be on hand. On Saturday, Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. the branch will hold its 50th Anniversary Celebration, with festivities including games and artmaking; Native storytelling; a sound bath; a marching band through the stacks; and cake. You can also learn from local historians and capture a memory at the Youth in Focus photo booth. See the full schedule on the Library’s calendar.
If you wanted to do a more in-depth story, the branch has a unique and fascinating history – it took years of community activism to finally get the branch built, including a “read-in” by locals at a vacant lot in 1972. Protesters were outraged that Broadview Branch funds had been diverted by the city to refurbish a stadium for the extremely short-lived MLB team the Seattle Pilots.
The Pilots lasted one season. The Broadview Branch has lasted 50 years.