Pierce County Library System
Information & Imagination

Locations

History of Lakewood Pierce County Library

• Feb. 1947 - Original library opened in Hobbyville, 6107 Steilacoom Blvd.

• May 1948 - Library closed and reopened in January 1949 in the Sunshine Gift Shop.

• June 1955 - Library again closed - no building available.

• 1956 - Library moved to 9105 Bridgeport Way.

• 1958 - Library moved to Park Lodge School on Alfaretta St.

• 1963 - Tenzler Library opened at 6300 Wildaire Road S.W. Building funded by the Tenzler Foundation.

• 1974-1975 - Tenzler Foundation funded an addition, bringing new total to 32,592 square feet.

• 1982 - Library building, owned by Friends of the Lakes District Library, was renamed Lakewood Library.

• 1991-1992 - Newly renamed FRIENDS of Lakewood Library donated the library building and $350,000 for renovation to the Library System.

• March 1994 - Enlarged and renovated Lakewood Library opened after temporary housing at Park Lodge School for nearly a year.

• 1995 - Lakewood incorporated as a city.

• 1996 - Lakewood annexed to Library System.

• 1999 - Art gallery created in remodeled space with donation from FRIENDS of Lakewood Library.

• 2004 - Conducted significant warranty repairs on faulty roof.

• 2005 - Elizabeth Rennert Thomas Library Courtyard built to honor a bequest.

• Dec. 2006 - Lakewood reopened after remodel, with self-service checkout, a teen center and a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing wireless Internet access for personal laptops.

• 2009 - William L. Bush Children’s Garden named in recognition of a generous donation; Removed and replaced roof.

• 2011-2012 - Updated library layout: improved customer service desk and access to movies and music, more places to read and study, better placement of noisy and quiet activities. Computers: multiple areas, keyboards with Korean characters, designated space for classes, software/resources to help with homework. Replaced mechanical systems and repaired the elevator.

• 2013 - Completed creation of new learning environments for children, tweens and teens funded by gifts from the FRIENDS of Lakewood Library, Pierce County Library Foundation and generous donors.

• 2013 - Steve Albers Early Learning area designated in recognition of his many contributions to Pierce County Library System and Pierce County Library Foundation. 

• 2016 - Upgraded the elevator for improvement. 

• 2021 - Conducted a comprehensive building condition assessment, concluding that the building required more than $11 million in replacements and repairs to bring the building to contemporary service standards.

• 2022 - Conducted an initial roof assessment and retained a second comprehensive opinion, which added $4 million to replace the roof and address its underlying infrastructure and safety issues. The roof replacement for $4 million plus the other overall $11 million for replacements and repairs showed an overall estimated cost of $15 million for replacements and repairs for the entire building.

• 2022 - Closed the building on June 5, 2022, because of the critical building condition and safety issues.