Topic: Los Angeles History

It's 4 p.m. on a peaceful Sunday in Griffith Park. Hikers stroll on the trails while children climb on a play structure. Suddenly, there's a commotion in the trees. Woodpeckers squawk and crows caw. A…

One of the Los Angeles Public Library's largest pieces of outdoor art can only be appreciated in photos now, after becoming a victim of Southern California's weather. Bison Hunt, a 50-foot-by-26-foot…

On March 13, 2000, the new, expanded Teen’Scape Department at the Central Library opened with great fanfare. (This replaced the smaller Teen’Scape Department that existed at Central from 1998-2000.)…

It’s 2026, and here at the Library, we’re looking forward to commemorating 100 years of the Central Library. Dedicated in July 1926, the opening of this architectural icon was a milestone not only for…

The Vernon - Leon H. Washington Jr. Memorial Branch, located on Central Avenue at 45th Street, is one of the oldest branches in the Los Angeles Public Library system. There is an incredible amount of…

The Jefferson Branch Library originally opened as a deposit station between 1912 to 1913 in the Soffel Drug Store at 2100 West Jefferson Street. Deposit stations reached underserved communities that…

Have you ever visited a library in the middle of a department store? If you lived in Los Angeles in the early twentieth century, you could have done just that. The Hamburger Building, designed by…

The growth of the Hollywood branch of the Los Angeles Public Library mirrors the development of Hollywood as a place. From sleepy beginnings, it grew quicker than expected, with highs and lows…

This is the sixth in a series of blog posts that looks at history near a Los Angeles Public Library branch. Library resources, including books, local newspapers, maps, city directories, vertical files…

This is the fifth installment of a series exploring the history that can be found near a library branch and some of the library resources that help tell that history. The Chatsworth Branch of the Los…

The John Muir Branch Library was built in 1930, based upon a design by architect Henry Francis Withey in the Italian Renaissance style, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The…

From its earliest years, the Cahuenga Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library operated amidst movie studios, halls of higher learning, and architectural wonders. One of three remaining Carnegie…

With locations all over the city and lots of books and other materials devoted to local history, libraries are a perfect springboard for exploring Los Angeles. This is the third in a series of blog…