Washington Irving Branch (Original) | |
Location | 1802 South Arlington Avenue, Los Angeles, California |
---|---|
Coordinates | 34°2′22″N118°19′1″W / 34.03944°N 118.31694°W Coordinates: 34°2′22″N118°19′1″W / 34.03944°N 118.31694°W |
Built | 1926 |
Architect | Allison & Allison |
Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Romanesque Revival-Mediterranean Revival |
MPS | Los Angeles Branch Library System TR |
NRHP reference No. | 87001010 [1] |
LAHCM No. | 307 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | May 19, 1987 |
Designated LAHCM | June 27, 1986 [2] |
The original Washington Irving Branch library, located at 1802 South Arlington Avenue in Los Angeles, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1926, it was closed and replaced by a new branch, located at 4117 West Washington Boulevard, in 2000.
The original branch was located at 1802 South Arlington Avenue, Los Angeles, California. The Romanesque Revival-Mediterranean Revival building was built in 1926 and designed by Allison & Allison. The building has been vacant, boarded and fenced for many years. Built in 1926, the Irving Branch had a long, airy room with exposed wood trusses and rafters. At the time of its closure, no major physical changes had been made to the building since its construction, and books remained housed on thick wood shelves. [3]
The Washington Irving Branch was designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in April 1984.
In 1987, the Washington Irving Branch and several other branch libraries in Los Angeles were added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of a thematic group submission. [4] The application noted that the branch libraries had been constructed in a variety of period revival styles to house the initial branch library system of the City of Los Angeles. With respect to the Irving Branch, the application described the building as a one-story Mediterranean building, constructed of hollow tile and finished with brick and stucco. It has a rectangular plan with side-facing gables, a symmetrical front elevation, a tiled roof and a bay window on the east side. [4]
When the Los Angeles Library Commission proposed closing the old Irving Branch and re-locating to a modern facility at a new location, the Los Angeles Times wrote: "It is comforting to know that residents of one Mid-City Los Angeles neighborhood are arguing vehemently with City Hall because of a library. ... The city proposes a more complete and modern library that would be just 13 blocks away, currently the site of a carwash. This makes sense. So would upgrading the historic building that houses the present branch, perhaps as a community center - where that 'neighborhood' feeling it now encourages would continue to be nurtured." [5]
In June 1990, the Los Angeles Library Commission voted to close the old library and re-open the Washington Irving Branch in a different location. The majority of 62 speakers at a public forum on the closure spoke in favor of saving the old branch by renovating and expanding the existing structure. Commission President Martha D. Katsufrankis said at the time: "I'm old and I appreciate old things, but we have to think about serving the whole community for the future." [6] At the time, City Councilman Nate Holden guaranteed that another "viable funded" use, such as a community center, would be found for the old structure. Area residents, however, were skeptical about promises to preserve the old building, one stating, "I don't believe that for one second. What are they going to turn it into-a police station? A fire station? It's a library, damn it." [6] The library commission agreed in 1991 not to move the Irving branch from its historic Mid-City home of 65 years until a new tenant could be found to take over the building. Residents had feared that the library would be closed and the building left vacant. Library Commissioner Douglas Ring noted at the time: "Everyone knows if you vacate a building and don't have an alternative tenant it is the same as destroying it. That's not what anyone wants." [7]
The library continued in operation, with events listed in the Los Angeles Times, through March 1999. [8] Despite the promises, a new tenant or use was not found. The building has been vacant, boarded up, and fenced for many years. As of 2008, it was marred with graffiti and the lot covered with weeds and litter.
The new Washington Irving branch library was dedicated on March 6, 2000. The 12,269-square-foot building is located at 4117 W. Washington Boulevard in the Arlington Heights neighborhood. [9] [10] On July 16, 2022, the Washington Irving Pocket Park opened next to the library. [11] Then-councilman Herb Wesson said "“This park is a great example of the community, the Council Office, and the two departments (Recreation & Parks and Library) all working together to utilize this space more effectively.”" [12]
Harvard Heights is a densely populated, mixed-income neighborhood of 20,000+ people in Central Los Angeles, California. Within it lies a municipally designated historic overlay zone designed to protect its architecturally significant single-family residences, including the only remaining Greene and Greene house in Los Angeles.
Jefferson Park is a neighborhood in the South region of the City of Los Angeles, California. There are five Historic-Cultural Monuments in the neighborhood. In 1987, the Jefferson branch library was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Mid-Wilshire is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It is known for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Petersen Automotive Museum, and the Miracle Mile shopping district.
Mid City is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California.
Arlington Heights is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California.
The neighborhood of Irvington, named after Washington Irving, includes Irvington Historic District, a historic district in Indianapolis, Indiana. The historic district is a 545-acre (221 ha) area that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. That year, the district included 2,373 contributing buildings, 5 other contributing structures, and 2 contributing sites.
Bolton Hall is a historic American Craftsman-era stone building in Tujunga, Los Angeles, California. Built in 1913, Bolton Hall was originally used as a community center for the utopian community of Los Terrenitos. From 1920 until 1957, it was used as an American Legion hall, the San Fernando Valley's second public library, Tujunga City Hall, and a jail. In 1957, the building was closed. For more than 20 years, Bolton Hall remained vacant and was the subject of debates over demolition and restoration. Since 1980, the building has been operated by the Little Landers Historical Society as a local history museum.
Moneta Branch, also known as the Junipero Serra Branch, is a former branch library of the Los Angeles Public Library located south of Downtown Los Angeles.
Felipe de Neve Branch Library is a branch library of the Los Angeles Public Library located in Lafayette Park in Westlake, Los Angeles. It was built in 1929 based on a Mediterranean Revival-Classical Revival design by architect Austin Whittlesey. The branch was named after Felipe de Neve, the Spanish governor of California who oversaw the founding of Los Angeles. The branch was opened on Felipe de Neve Day in 1929, celebrating the 148th anniversary of the founding of Los Angeles.
Richard Henry Dana Branch, named after Richard Henry Dana, Jr and later known as the Cypress Park Branch, is a former branch library of the Los Angeles Public Library located in the Cypress Park, Los Angeles, California section of Los Angeles, California. The Georgian Revival style building was built in 1926 based on a design by architect Harry S. Bent.
Lincoln Heights Branch Library is the second oldest branch library in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Located in the Lincoln Heights section of Los Angeles, California, it was built in the Classical Revival and Italian Renaissance Revival styles in 1916 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie. One of three surviving Carnegie libraries in Los Angeles, it has been designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Vermont Square Branch Library is the oldest branch library in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Located about a mile southwest of the University of Southern California campus, in the Vermont Square district, it was built in 1913 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie. One of three surviving Carnegie libraries in Los Angeles, it has been designated a Historic-Cultural Monument and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cahuenga Branch is the third oldest branch library facility in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Located at 4591 Santa Monica Boulevard in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, it was built in 1916 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie. One of three surviving Carnegie libraries in Los Angeles, it has been designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library, which was formerly known as the North Hollywood Branch Library, is a branch library in the Los Angeles Public Library system, located in the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1930 based on a Mediterranean Revival design by architects Weston & Weston.
El Greco Apartments is a historic twelve-unit, Spanish Revival style apartment building located in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, California. The building was built in 1929 as one of the original buildings in the Westwood Village section of Los Angeles. Located in the heart of Westwood, the building was the home of film celebrities, including Erich von Stroheim, Michael Curtiz, and Joel McCrea. In the 1980s, the owner planned to demolish the building to erect a new condominium building. Met by tenant protests, the owner agreed to pay to have the building moved to another location. The building was ultimately moved to the Fairfax district where it was converted to low-income housing for senior citizens.
Lincoln Place Apartment Homes is a historic apartment community owned by a subsidiary of Apartment Investment and Management Co. (Aimco). Inspired by the garden city movement, it is located at 1050 Frederick Street on a 35-acre site in the Venice community of Los Angeles, one mile east of Venice Beach. Built from 1949-1951, the property is just off Lincoln Boulevard, bound by Lake Street and Penmar Avenue with Elkgrove Avenue and Elkgrove Circle within its interior.
Founded in 1983, the West Adams Heritage Association (WAHA) is an historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California that is focused on the preservation of the Historic West Adams section of the city.
Richard J. Riordan Central Library, also known as the Los Angeles Central Library, is the main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), in Downtown Los Angeles. It is named after Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan.
The 12,269-square-foot library was dedicated Monday (March 6).
Wesson said. "This park is a great example of the community, the Council Office, and the two departments (Recreation & Parks and Library) all working together to utilize this space more effectively."