High Schoolers in Seattle Build a Tiny Library That Makes Room for Everyone
The city-sponsored project is the new home of Estelita’s Library, an open and inclusive space where activism is encouraged through community engagement.
The city-sponsored project is the new home of Estelita’s Library, an open and inclusive space where activism is encouraged through community engagement.
As the City of Seattle continues to experience explosive growth—and displacement that goes along with it—a disused snippet of land on a major thoroughfare in the Central District neighborhood has become a proving ground for the potential of community-driven design. Atop the small plot is now a micro structure, a neon sign proudly announcing the new location of a significant gathering space within the city: Estelita’s Library.
Estelita’s Library is a new micro community space in Seattle that doubles as a social justice-focused bookstore and library. The project was designed and built by local high school students through non-profit Sawhorse Revolution, which pairs students with professional architects and carpenters.
Photo: Rafael Soldi
Since being founded in 2018 by Edwin Lindo in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, the justice-focused library has provided free access to more than 1,500 books—a catalogue that features works by Audre Lorde, Malcolm X, and Howard Zinn, along with Lindo’s collection of Black Panther newspapers, one of the largest in the country.
After Lindo learned their building was slated for demolition to make way for high-rise apartments, he partnered with Tiny Cultural Spaces, a pioneering City program launched in 2018 that matches deserving cultural groups with unused, city-owned land.
Sawhorse Revolution students built the structure from the ground up to a point where it passed structural review. For the Estelita's project, two-thirds of the students were youth of color and three-fourths were from low-income backgrounds.">Sawhorse Revolution students designed the space with professional mentorship from Olson Kundig, and then built the structure from the ground up to pass structural review. "At the core of our work is the idea that youth can and should have a hand in shaping their own neighborhoods," says Sawhorse"s executive director, Sarah Smith.
Photo: Lindsay Kunz
Estelita’s Library was part of Sawhorse’s all-womxn’s program, meaning that all participants including mentors, students, and volunteers identified as women. Two-thirds of the students were youths of color and three-fourths were from low-income backgrounds. "We truly believe in experiential learning and engaging students in the landscape of their community," says Smith.
Photo courtesy Sawhorse Revolution
See the full story on Dwell.com: High Schoolers in Seattle Build a Tiny Library That Makes Room for Everyone
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