At a glance

Architect

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue

Built

1922–1926

Style

Art Deco / Egyptian Revival

Location

630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Status

National Register of Historic Places (1970)

Function

Public library (main branch, LAPL)

Collection

Over 3.5 million items

Overview

The Los Angeles Central Library is the main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library system, one of the largest municipal library systems in the United States. The historic Goodhue Building, completed in 1926, anchors a two-building campus that was expanded in 1993 with the Tom Bradley wing. The library holds over 3.5 million items and is a major research facility as well as a community hub. Renamed in honor of Mayor Richard J. Riordan for his role in championing its post-fire restoration, the building stands at 630 W 5th Street in the South Park district of downtown Los Angeles.

History

Los Angeles commissioned its central library in the early 1920s to replace an inadequate rented facility. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue — who simultaneously designed the Nebraska State Capitol — won the competition with a design that rejected the Beaux-Arts academic orthodoxy of the time. The Goodhue Building opened in 1926, the year of the architect’s death. In 1986, two arson fires severely damaged the library, destroying or damaging some 400,000 volumes and causing $22 million in damage. A major fundraising and restoration effort led by Mayor Riordan resulted in a fully restored building reopening in 1993, with the new Tom Bradley wing providing modern stack space and a dramatic atrium interior.

Architecture & Design

Goodhue’s design synthesizes multiple historical vocabularies into a coherent and personal statement. The building’s massing follows a stepped pyramid form — directly evoking Egyptian and Mesopotamian architecture — surmounted by a tiled dome decorated with the torch of knowledge. The exterior walls are richly carved with bas-reliefs representing the history of California and the dissemination of knowledge. Sculptors Lee Lawrie and Garnsey contributed decorative programs that blend Art Deco abstraction with classical allegory. The main reading room features a painted ceiling and mural cycle depicting the history of California. The 1993 Tom Bradley addition by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates respects the historic structure while providing a dramatic eight-story glass atrium.

Cultural significance

The Los Angeles Central Library represents the ambition of a young city to establish itself as a center of culture and learning. Its eclectic architectural language — part Egyptian temple, part Art Deco tower, part California mission — mirrors Los Angeles’ own identity as a place where cultures and styles meet and transform. The library’s survival and restoration after the 1986 arson fires became a symbol of civic resilience and public commitment to learning. The building appears in numerous films, novels, and works of art as an emblem of Los Angeles and has been central to debates about the city’s architectural heritage and the public’s right to beautiful civic space.

Visiting today

The Los Angeles Central Library is open Monday through Saturday, with reduced Sunday hours. Admission is free. Visitors can explore the historic Goodhue Building’s reading rooms and murals, the Bradley wing atrium, regular art exhibitions, and public programs including author talks, film screenings, and children’s events. The library café and gift shop are open during library hours. Timed entry is not required for general library use. Architecture tours are offered on select dates.

Getting there

The Los Angeles Central Library is located at 630 W 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071, in downtown Los Angeles’s South Park neighborhood. It is a short walk from the 7th Street/Metro Center station, served by the Metro A (Blue), E (Expo), and D (Purple) lines. The Pershing Square Metro station on the B (Red) and D (Purple) lines is also nearby. Parking structures are available on adjacent blocks. Cycling access is provided via Flower Street bike lanes. The building is fully wheelchair accessible.