Declared one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, Los Angeles Central Library is a monument to fine architecture and artwork—and, of course, its renowned collection of the written word and its world-class special collections. Los Angeles Central Library and its history are as fascinating as any of the storied volumes found on its shelves. City leaders fought for decades to build a landmark structure and later battled to demolish it, yet generations of Angelenos have watched the building stand tall, survive fires, and endure into the twenty-first century, ready to face a high-tech society that thought it could live without books. Year after year Central Library proves its essential place in the heart of Los Angeles. And each year it becomes more important.
240 pages, 150 images
Architecture / Buildings / Landmarks & Monuments / California / History / Public Arts