No. 28 - William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
1926 – Robert D. Farquhar
2520 Cimarron Street – map
Declared: 10/9/64

Oh, man. You might want to skip this post. It’s really disappointing.

William Andrews Clark, Jr, made his money through inheritance (copper mining in Montana) and the stock market. He had Robert D. Farquhar (who also designed HCMs No. 43, downtown’s California Club, and No. 391, the Canfield-Moreno Estate, as well as Beverly Hills High School) create this French Renaissance Revival building to house his rare books and manuscripts collections, which emphasized 17th- and 18th-century English literature and history, Oscar Wilde, and fine printing.

Upon his death in 1934, Clark left the building and his collections to UCLA in memory of his astronomically wealthy dad, a Montana senator who died in 1925.
Clark, Jr’s house, which was also on the West Adams grounds and pre-dated the library, has been demolished.

William Andrews Clark, Jr, founded the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the end of World War I and bled money into the organization while he was alive.
So the disappointing part is the library’s undergoing some interior renovations. I first tried to schedule a tour, available only during weekdays. When that didn’t work out, I decided just to pop by for a few quick photos. However, when I got to the north entrance, a security guard prevented me from going too far inside the compound. Or, rather, from going inside the compound at all. Further, the grounds – which take up the whole block – are surrounded by a very tall wall, preventing any glimpse inside.

Up next: Campo de Cahuenga