Then and Now: The Local Library
A look into the Los Angeles Public Library's photo archives shows how dramatic Highland Park's transition has been.
Built in 2004, the Arroyo Seco Branch Library on the corner of North Figeura and Piedmont is a testimony to Highland Park's arts and crafts era--complete with river stone facade.
However, a look into the past shows that the original Arroyo Seco Branch Library had very little to do with the architectural movement influenced by Highland Park godfather Charles Fletcher Lummis.
Designed by Garvanza architect Frederick M. Ashley and built with funding from the Carnegie Foundation in 1913, the original library featured strong Ionic columns instead of arroyo stones.
The original library was demolished in 1959, replaced by a start of the art facility, which was in turn replaced by the latest library iteration in 2004.
Amy Inouye
10:48 am on Monday, December 26, 2011
The LAPL photo collection is an awesome LA treasure... over 80,000 images are available to peruse in the online database (with millions more in the collection). In 2012, there will be over a dozen free presentations at the Central Library based on images from the collection or by LA photographers sharing their work (sponsored by the Photo Friends of LAPL). Please check it out at photofriends.org
Susan R
2:31 pm on Monday, December 26, 2011
This is a really beautiful library that people actually use, not like the Cypress Park library that sucks.
Daniel
6:26 am on Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The building right before this one was not as appealing as either the current one nor the first one. The early picture does have similarities to the architecture of the first Luther Burbank School and Franklin High buildings.