No. 81 - Memorial Library

Memorial Library
1930 – John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley
4625 West Olympic Boulevard – map
Declared: 4/7/71

The Memorial Library was dedicated on April 29, 1930, to the twenty Los Angeles High School graduates who were killed in World War I.

The building’s history, though, dates back to 1923 when the school’s students and alumni association raised funds to buy the plot of land at 4625 West Olympic, across the street from the high school, as a memorial. Shortly after purchase, the land was deeded by the school to the city as a park. At the end of the decade, rights were given to the Los Angeles Public Library to put up a branch here. The LAPL oversees the modest library to this day.

The library, designed by John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley, was meant to reflect the Tudor and Gothic look of the school across the way (also designed by Messrs Austin and Ashley). And it does, too. Or, did, anyway. Here’s a shot of the old high school (L.A.’s third), torn down after the Sylmar earthquake and a subsequent fire in 1971. Compare and contrast.

Including furnishings, the library cost around $45,000.

The highlight of the landmark is the set of stained-glass windows in the adult reading room. Created by Judson Studios from inspiration by London’s Parliament Building, the dedication features a dedication and the names of the twenty men who lost their lives:

May the sacrifice of these lives contribute to the establishment of peace among the nations.

Robert J. Bokenkrager, 1915
Greayer Clover, 1916
J. Clyde Collision, 1906
Robert L. Curl, 1909
Walter A. Ellis, 1899
John Hamilton Erwin, 1918
Leon S. Francis, 1916
Lester D. Havens, J.C., 1918
Joseph L. Kauffman, 1913
J. Noel Kerr, 1917
Harry M. Lockwood, 1912
Harold F. Makson, 1913
Elwyn C. McKinnon, 1914
Edward G. North, 1911
Cecil H. Phillips, 1907
Harry I. Schwannacka, 1914
Charles H. Setchel, 1912
Harvey L. Thorpe, 1901
Harry C. Turner, 1893
John Wigmore, 1916

No disrespect, but if there’s a cooler name than J. Clyde Collision out there, I sure haven’t heard it. Plus, you figure those guys from the class of 1918 were probably out of high school less than a year before they were killed.

After a six-year seismic retro-fit, the Memorial Library reopened on July 22, 1996. Miralles & Associates, Inc., worked on the renovation, while Bill Judson created five new stained-glass windows, situated at the end of the main bookstacks (above).

All in all, a pleasant park and a moving tribute.

Up next: River Station Area/Southern Pacific Railroad