Lennox Branch of the Los Angeles County Library Opens in Civic Center

Dedication of the Lennox Branch, the second county-owned building. [1948]

County of Los Angeles Public Library History

A new building for the Lennox Branch of the Los Angeles County Library was opened May 14, 1948. It was one of the four buildings that made up Lennox's Civic Center and the library later included a regional office. It was a small branch. Upon its opening, the Lennox Branch accommodated 16 adults and 16 children in the reading room according to a staff newsletter. The branch was quickly popular and more library cards were issued in the first month than the previous six months combined. By January 1950 a regional card catalog was installed that represented the holdings of nine branches in the area. The adult materials alone accounted for 40,000 cards in the catalog.

The branch closed in late 2012 for renovation and reopened April 11, 2014.

Before and after photos of the Lennox Branch (Photos by author)

Los Angeles Library Tour - Lennox Library (CLOSING for remodel June 29, 2012)

We stumbled upon the County of Los Angeles Public Library's Lennox branch recently and were amazed and charmed by both the building and the staff.



According to the Los Angeles Times, the library is part of the Lennox Civic Center that was dedicated May 14, 1948. The then $328,000 (approximately $3,380,000 today) Civic Center also housed a Sheriff's substation, the Los Angeles County Building and Safety Department and the County Charities Department.

Designed by architect Adrian Wilson, the brick building with its rounded corner entrance, and 'County Library' sign, are eye-catching as you drive north towards the intersection of Hawthorne Blvd and Lennox Avenue. Projects Adrian Wilson worked on include the New Chinatown Los Angeles Master Plan (1938), Los Angeles County Courthouse, the Anaheim Convention Center, Ship of the Desert house in Palm Springs, and the recently renovated Casa Verdugo Library in Glendale.

The other offices in the complex are boarded up and appear to have been closed a little while, but we were happy to see the library was open.

On our first visit, Library Manager Peter Hsu couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. He showed us around the library and pointed out the plans for an upcoming remodel the library would be undergoing. I returned some books today and found out that the last day the current library would be open is Friday, June 29. The remodel will take two years to complete.

It is definitely worth the drive to see inside the original library now while you still can. Complete the trip with a stop at the beautiful Chips restaurant nearby, designed in 1957 by architect Harry Harrison.