The Los Angeles Central Library (Hardcover)

Kenneth Breisch

ISBN 10: 1606064908 / ISBN 13: 9781606064900

Published by Getty Trust Publications, Santa Monica CA, 2016

About this Item

Hardcover. In the most comprehensive investigation of the Los Angeles Public Librarys early history and architectural genesis ever undertaken, Kenneth Breisch chronicles the institutions first six decades, from its founding as a private library association in 1872 through the completion of the iconic Central Library building in 1933. During this time, the library evolved from an elite organization ensconced in two rooms in downtown LA into one of the largest public library systems in the United Stateswith architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhues building, a beloved LA landmark, as its centerpiece. Goodhue developed a new style, fully integrating the buildings sculptural and epigraphic program with its architectural forms to express a complex iconography. Working closely with sculptor Lee Oskar Lawrie and philosopher Hartley Burr Alexander, he created a great civic monument that, combined with the librarys murals, embodies an overarching theme: the light of learning. A building should read like a book, from its title entrance to its alley colophon, wrote Alexandera narrative approach to design that serves as a key to understanding Goodhues architectural gem. Breisch draws on a wealth of primary source material to tell the story of one of the most important American buildings of the twentieth century and illuminates the formation of an indispensible modern public institution: the American public library. Eminent architectural historian Breisch draws on a wealth of primary source material to tell the story of one of the most important American buildings of the twentieth century. In the process, he presents a richly documented case study illuminating the formation of an indispensable modern public institution: the American public library. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781606064900

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Los Angeles Central Library (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Getty Trust Publications, Santa Monica CA
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1606064908
• ISBN 13: 9781606064900
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A lively and erudite account of one Los Angeles’s great architectural icons

In the most comprehensive investigation of the Los Angeles Public Library’s early history and architectural genesis ever undertaken, Kenneth Breisch chronicles the institution’s first six decades, from its founding as a private library association in 1872 through the completion of the iconic Central Library building in 1933. During this time, the library evolved from an elite organization ensconced in two rooms in downtown LA into one of the largest public library systems in the United States—with architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue’s building, a beloved LA landmark, as its centerpiece.
 
Goodhue developed a new style, fully integrating the building’s sculptural and epigraphic program with its architectural forms to express a complex iconography. Working closely with sculptor Lee Oskar Lawrie and philosopher Hartley Burr Alexander, he created a great civic monument that, combined with the library’s murals, embodies an overarching theme: the light of learning.
 
“A building should read like a book, from its title entrance to its alley colophon,” wrote Alexander—a narrative approach to design that serves as a key to understanding Goodhue’s architectural gem. Breisch draws on a wealth of primary source material to tell the story of one of the most important American buildings of the twentieth century and illuminates the formation of an indispensable modern public institution: the American public library.
 

About the Author

Kenneth A. Breisch is associate professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California.