Vermont Square Branch Library

The Vermont Square Branch was designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument (#264) by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in June 1983 as the oldest remaining library in the city system. The application noted Vermont Branchwas as "a one-story structure designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival and Mediterranean Revival style with Prairie style proportions." It rests on a raised foundation and is topped by a red tile roof supported by broad overhanging eaves. The symmetrical facade is divided into three sections with the center portion protruding slightly. The center portion is fronted with terra cotta blocks with geometric patterns reminiscent of Classical motifs. The entry is located on a landing midway up the stairs. The top half of the staircase is located inside the building. Both wings are horizontally divided with two different facing materials. Cream-colored glazed brick covers the exterior walls below the window sills. Long vertical windows are arranged high on the walls, grouped in bands of five on either side of the entry. ==History==

Opening in 1913 The Vermont Square Branch opened in March 1913 as the first library building built by the City of Los Angeles. It is the oldest branch library in the city and was the first of six branch libraries built with a $210,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie paid for a total of six libraries in Los Angeles, and only three of the Carnegie libraries remain: Vermont Square, Cahuenga, and Lincoln Heights." Early years In 1917, the branch received a gift of a "motion picture projection machine" which was used for the first time to show the picture "The Prince and the Pauper" to a full auditorium. The building was one of the most widely visited in the southwest section of the city in its early years. During the year 1917–1918, there were 368 meetings in the branch's auditorium. One report stated that "Monday mornings was the only time in the week free for tuning the piano." By 1920, the shelving and seating capacity were taxed by high demand for the library's facilities. In 1928, a gas furnace was installed, eliminated the need for a coal room, and the basement was rearranged to make available more usable space. During World War II, the branch was designated an air raid shelter and Red Cross casualty center; it was also used by the draft board as a registration center. Smith also noted that, in a neighborhood that had deteriorated in the years since he grew up there, "the little square has become all the more an oasis." Closure and renovation in the 1990s The branch was closed in May 1990 when it was discovered the building's unreinforced masonry did not meet seismic safety codes. The building was extensively renovated and reopened in May 1996. As part of the renovation, artwork by Nobuho Nagasawa was installed. Nagasawa's artwork consists of functional library furniture, including 11 preschool stools in the shape of letters that spell out the word "IMAGINATION," and a glass table sandblasted with the names of books that have been banned in some of America's public schools. ==See also==