In Fall 2018, Sawhorse Revolution and the Office of Arts & Culture released a groundbreaking RFP (Request for Proposals) encouraging Seattle-based non-profits and arts, culture, and heritage organizations to submit ideas for their own “Tiny Cultural Space”. The young women of Sawhorse Revolution ultimately selected the revolutionary Estelita’s Library as the client for this project. Estelita’s Library is a home for social justice literature and cultural events, housing several thousand books and what library founder and director Edwin Lindo believes is the world’s largest collection of The Black Panther – the weekly newspaper circulated by the Black Panther Party. Estelita’s serves as a sort of salon for locals and activists around the city, in which the voices of people of color are amplified and access is open to all.

Sawhorse students spent the fall term of 2018 under the wing of design mentors from Olson Kundig, designing a 200-square-foot library that would host Estelita’s new location. Estelita’s plans to use the space for cultural events and community-led discussions, poetry, salsa dancing, photography, and more. After stewarding the land offered by the City for this project for five years, ownership of the property will be transferred to Estelita’s Library in perpetuity, free of cost.

In Spring 2019, Sawhorse Revolution’s all-women’s program completed Phase I of the Estelita’s Library Project – the framing, structural, sheathing, and house-wrapping of the Estelita’s Kiosk project. Ten young women worked with three professional builders – Katie from JAS Design/Build, Kim from Huus Construction, and Sarah from Metis Construction – and a cadre of volunteers, including former students, designers from Olson Kundig and Graphite, and builders from Metis construction, to complete the first phase of the project.

The project was paused due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and completed by volunteers and Sawhorse staff in 2021.

Enormous thanks to:

Olson Kundig – Coughlin Porter Lundeen – Davis Wright Tremaine for professional services (design, engineering, and legal consult)

Materials Donors:
Dunn Lumber – Vaproshield – Rushing Corp. – North Coast Electric – Reider Facades – Simpson Strong Tie