Los Angeles Library Tour - Norwalk Regional Library

This weekend, we made it back to the Norwalk Regional Library (see previous Norwalk post). They were open this time and it was definitely worth the wait.

At 39,000 square feet it was the largest library ever built in the county public library system when it was dedicated in July 1969, The exterior almost has a museum-like quality to it. Windows are adorned with gold metal screens. As you walk toward the entrance, you are greeted by two mosaics designed by Ben Mayer. They each depict events and industries that have shaped California - such as agriculture (orange trees), transportation (trains and ships), aerospace (jets and rockets). These mosaics alone are worth a trip to Norwalk.

Inside, the grand touches continue. There are many giant gold light fixtures which compliment the screens outside. Additional mosaics form what almost appears to be a UFO hovering over the children's section.

This branch of the Los Angeles County Public Library system held many books we had never seen at any other libraries we've visited. We've been to a lot of libraries, and after awhile the same books seem to pop up from one branch to the next. But here, the aisles were filled with rare books waiting to be discovered. I found this in the arts and crafts section: Pop Topping!. And in the Los Angeles history section, we found Previews of Coming Attractions: Scenes and Faces from the Permanent L.A. Fun Game. Haven't seen that in years.

The local history section is amazing. They had a giant selection of magazines (three different publications on libraries and two on restaurants. How often do you see that?) Plenty of government and reference material. A small but functional audio/visual department. They also had a lot of nice exhibit cases to show off the summer reading programs.

After loading up on books, we drove down the way to Bellflower for a lunch at Fronks. Giant sized burgers topped off what turned out to be an epic trip to the Norwalk Regional Library.

Norwalk Regional Library

Curse you Los Angeles County Library! You tease me with the prospects of uncharted library terrain. But today, alas, I will not browse your aisles.

Let me explain:
We had just finished another amazing visit to the Whittier Public Library on Washington Avenue (it never ceases to amaze). Afterwards, on the trip back towards home, I found a comic book store we hadn't been to before, Comic Cult on Imperial Highway. Across the street was an amazing building. It looked gold and concrete from the distance. It seemed to exist
on an empty grass field. Was it an auditorium? It must be some sort of civic
building. It wasn't apartments.
We drove around to the front, it turned out to be The Norwalk Regional Library, a library we have not visited. And there were two amazing tile mosaics flanking the entrance.
The parking lot was kind of empty as we entered. Hmmm.... Are they a victim of budget cuts forced to close on a Saturday?
We walked up to the entrance, and to mixed emotions, we find out they are
closed due to a staff meeting. Whew! They will be open the next time we come back. And we can't wait to get back.
Once we were back at home base, we discovered that the Norwalk branch is in
the Los Angeles County System. Plus there are more mosaics inside.
While researching the library, we came across this great site about public art in Los Angeles County, spurring additional places to add to our long list of future trips.