 In 1956, Seattle voters approved a municipal bond to replace what was by then considered the "inadequate and impractical" library.The Ballard Carnegie Library eventually was shut in 1963, when a new, larger public library was built in the area, and the Carnegie building became an antique store.One of the cited reasons for the closure and sale of the library building were expert claims that the building would never survive an earthquake (of which Seattle had numerous instances, both before and after 1963).