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Changing Face of Southern California

Looking East on Fifth Street, The Public Library to the right, Los Angeles, California

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Looking East on Fifth Street, The Public Library to the right, Los Angeles, California

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Identifier	post_00130
Title	Looking East on Fifth Street, The Public Library to the right, Los Angeles, California
Creator	unknown
Date Published	circa1935
Subject (Topic)	Public libraries--California--Los Angeles;
Subject (Name)	Los Angeles Public Library;
Subject (Place)	Los Angeles (Calif.)--Buildings & structures;
Type	image
Form/Genre	Postcards
Physical Description	1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Institution	Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University
Country of Creation	US
Copyright Status	public domain
Copyright Statement	http://library.lmu.edu/generalinformation/departments/digitallibraryprogram/copyrightandreproductionpolicy/
Publisher	Tichnor Art Company
Language	eng
Description	Bird's-eye view of Fifth Street; Central Library on the right side of street; on the left, the highest building is the Edison building; parked automobiles; automobiles going west down street; building across the street to the left is Sunkist building; radio towers in background; flags in background; parking lot in left foreground with billboards, one reads:"Vote Yes on 4" the other is an advertisement for Morton Salt; fountains in front of library; trees, lawn, shrubbery; walking paths; city buildings.
Historical Background	The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) began as a subscription based reading room located in Downey Block at Main, Spring and Temple Streets. The 6000-plus book collection was moved to the second City Hall building in 1889 where it was cataloged for the first time using the then new Dewey Decimal system. In 1891, the city began to fully fund the library and the subscription fee was dropped, making access free. From the 1890s on, the library had outgrown its allotted space and library supporters lobbied continuously for a separate building. Finally, in 1926, the Central Library building opened at the site of the old State Normal School, between Fifth and Sixth, Grand and Flower. It was designed by Bertram Goodhue in an Ancient Egyptian style with an arch, a mosaic pyramid decorated with suns, sphinxes, and snakes, topped by a hand holding a torch to represent the Light of Learning." Two arson fires in 1986 damaged part of the building and 20% of its collection. Rebuilding began in 1988, and when it opened in 1993, the renovated structure featured a Neo-Mission style with an additional east wing and a high atrium. In funding the rebuilding, air rights were sold to developers who added a tower that exceeded city height restrictions. Library Tower, now the U.S. Bank Tower, remains the tallest building in Los Angeles. The name of the library was changed to the Richard Riordan Central Library to honor former Mayor Riordon for his strong support of the library. The Edison building, a fourteen-story Art Deco style building, was originally the home of a utility company, and the first building in the western U.S. to be completely heated and cooled by electricity.
Publisher's Identifier	Publisher's serial number: 63744; Series number: T353
Additional Notes	Printed on linen textured paper.
Source	Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection