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Central Docents, Central Library

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part of Maguire Gardens’ SPINE sculptor

Sculptor Jud Fine Reflects on the Maguire Gardens’ SPINE

January 04, 2016

The incised metal steps that lead from Flower Street to the Central Library are part of an “art plan integrated with an architectural plan” now known as “Spine,” and the highlight of The Maguire Gardens. It is “not an installation or a sole art project,” says primary artist, Jud Fine.


Senior Librarian Mary McCoy at the Teen'Scape Desk

Teen’Scape Revisited: YA Library after Nearly Two Decades

November 23, 2015

When you take our free docent-led art and architecture tours of the Los Angeles Central Library, we always point out Teen’Scape, one of the nation’s first libraries within a library designed by and exclusively for teens. Architect Robert Coffee created the unique space, which opened in 1998.


illustration of the teen'scape space in Central Library

Teen’Scape: The Origin Story

November 12, 2015

When you take our free docent-led art and architecture tours of the Los Angeles Central Library, we always point out Teen’Scape, one of the nation’s first libraries within a library designed by and exclusively for teens.


tour group looking at the library's rotunda

Being a Central Library Docent

September 29, 2015

If you love the historic Central Library’s art and architecture, why not share that passion with others?


View of Central Library and the Maguire Gardens

Fountains Add History, Peace to Library’s Gardens

August 27, 2015

Our free art and architecture tours of L.A.'s Central Library begin by taking a look at the exterior of the historic 1926 Goodhue Building.


Everett Robbins Perry 1876-1933

Everett Robbins Perry: Librarian with a Vision

July 20, 2015

Our free art and architecture tour of L.A.'s central library begins in the 1926 Goodhue Building, famous for its sculpture, murals, painted ceilings, and wonderful architecture. The building has another great feature, something which seems ordinary to modern eyes, but which wasn't ordinary at all in 1926.


Literate Fence

The Literate Fence: Championing Books, Reading & L.A.’s Diversity

June 13, 2015

The elegant Literate Fence, on the Fifth Street side of the library, was designed by Washington state industrial metal artist, Ries Niemi (b.1955). The Deco design, completed in 1993, echoes the design of the original library building.


Julian Garnsey

Julian Garnsey: Artist and Architectural Collaborator

May 02, 2015

Our free docent-led art and architecture tour of the Los Angeles Central Library always includes a stop in the International Languages Department, through which visitors can find the library's original 1926 Children's Department, with its decorated ceiling and Ivanhoe-themed murals.


Central Library exterior

Horsetrading and Angry Feminists: Central’s Backstory

March 05, 2015

As you learn on our daily docent-led tours, The Richard J Riordan Central Library has almost 90 years of fascinating history. But some of most intriguing chapters in the building’s story occurred before the library even opened its doors for the first time in 1926.


Library Entrance

Where is the Central Library’s Front Door?

February 04, 2015

Our free, docent-led Art and Architecture tours of the downtown Central Library begin and end in the Main Lobby. But we are often asked: where exactly is the library’s front door? It’s a strange question for a landmark building. Here's a bit of background on the many entrances:


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