Lakewood Library 50th Anniversary
Happy 50th Anniversary Lakewood Pierce County Library!
Lakewood Pierce County Library turned 50 on Aug. 4, 2013! To celebrate years of serving the community from this location, Pierce County Library System and FRIENDS of Lakewood Library hosted a free community celebration, Aug. 4-17.
- The Library System invited residents to share their library story in a book at Lakewood Library or on the Library’s Facebook page.
- The City of Lakewood presented a proclamation to the Pierce County Library.
- Lakewood Historical Society gave a talk about the history of Lakewood and the Library.
- Community members learned about this Library’s early years through a photo exhibit in the upstairs gallery that shared the building’s transformation and many changes to library services.
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50th Anniversary Celebration
More than 365 people participated in the culminating event on Saturday, Aug. 17, a day-long celebration that included:
- Face-painting
- Caricature and balloon art
- Concert by a Beatles tribute band
- Brief remarks about the impact and history of the Lakewood Library made by:
- Pierce County Library Board of Trustee Chair Linda Ishem
- Marlene Tenzler
- Lakewood City Councilmember Mike Brandstetter
- FRIENDS President Bob Estrada
- Pierce County Library Executive Director Neel Parikh
Then and Now
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Children's Librarian Cheryl Watson |
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Historic photos
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Flora B. Tenzler Memorial Library |
Herman E. Tenzler |
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Lakewood Librarian Barbara Weikert, Children's
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Senator Slade Gorton |
History at a glance
February 15, 1947 - The first Lakewood Library opened in a hobby shop in the Clover Park Building, 6107 Steilacoom Blvd., now home to Lakewood Appliance.
August 1, 1963 - The Flora B. Tenzler Memorial Library opened its doors to the south central residents of Pierce County, known as the Lakes District.
The Tenzler Foundation paid $20,000 to Architect Russell N. Garrison and $5,000 to a consultant for landscape architecture and interior design. The site cost $28,500 and the construction ran $29/square foot, for a total of $250,000.
The state-of-the art library captured the community and instantly became the gathering place.
1964 - The American Library Association, American Institute of Architects, and National Book Committee awarded the Flora B. Tenzler Memorial Library with a First Honor Award.
1974-1975 - The Tenzler Foundation funded an addition to the library, bringing the total square footage to 31,962.
The state-of-the-art audio-visual department had:
- Egg chairs–upholstered fiberglass pods with stereo speakers featuring records and tapes played on-demand by staff.
- Audio-visual carrels located throughout the building featured headphones and small-screen color Sony Trinitron televisions.
- Movie-theater type setup in the meeting room.
- Telephone Access Program Line, where people could call and speak with a live operator to request a children's story, a comedy routine, a master gardener or local history program, and consumer information. The service was offered 24/7; recorded reel-to-reel tapes ran Tapline One and live operators ran Tapline Two with individual play-on-demand tape cartridges.
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1991-1992: The Friends of the Lakes District Library donated the library building and $350,000 for renovation to Pierce County Library.
