How to Contact UsAll records held by the King County Archives are available for archival research by the public. Please contact Archives staff between 8:30 and 4:30, Monday - Friday, to discuss your research needs or to schedule an appointment. We ask that appointments be made at least one day in advance to allow enough time for records to be identified and retrieved for your research. The research room at the Archives is open Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
Our microfilm research room is also open Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. No appointment is necessary to use the microfilm research room, but there is a 15 minute time limit if others are waiting and it only provides access to recorded documents.
Directions to the King County Archives
Exterior of our building and entrance on Fir Street |
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Map showing our location in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood |
From the south:
- I-5 North
- Take the James Street Exit
- Right on James Street, continue up the hill, the road will turn into Cherry Street
- Right on 12th Avenue
- Left on E Fir St
- We are on the right side of Fir Street, in a nondescript grey warehouse building, halfway between 12th Avenue and 13th Avenue. Drive through the gate and proceed until you find parking on the right. We are located in Building A (the west building).
From the north:
- I-5 South
- Take the James Street Exit
- Left on James Street, continue up the hill, the road will turn into Cherry Street
- Right on 12th Avenue
- Left on E Fir Street
- We are on the right side of Fir Street, in a nondescript grey warehouse building, halfway between 12th Avenue and 13th Avenue. Drive through the gate and proceed until you find parking on the right. We are located in Building A (the west building).
Parking:
There is limited free parking available at the King County Archives on a first-come, first-served basis in front of Building A. There is also ample street parking and pay-parking lots nearby.
By Bus:
From downtown Seattle, we are best served by Metro Route 27. Get off on either the Broadway and Yesler stop or the 14th and Yesler stop and walk the rest of the way. Additionally, there are other Metro routes which run along nearby Boren Avenue. Visit Metro's Trip Planner site to find your route here.
Visiting the Archives
Archival records are unique materials, and we have special rules for these special collections. For the security and long-term preservation of the records in the archival collection, all researchers will be asked to abide by the following research room regulations.
- Registration: Visitors are required to sign in at the registration desk.
- Lockers: Lockers for personal belongs are available upon registering.
- Digital cameras, notebooks, laptop computers may be taken into the research room.
- Personal scanners are not allowed in the research room.
- Finding Aids - Paper copies of finding aids for record groups are available for consultation.
- Use pencils only for handwritten notes
- Archives staff will do all photocopying of properly flagged materials.
- No food or drinks are permitted in the research areas.
- The use of cell phones and pagers is prohibited in the research room. Please either turn your phone/pager off or place it on vibrate. Any phone conversations must be taken into the lobby or outside.
Please contact the Archives with questions, or to schedule a viewing appointment.
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