The sprawl of Los Angeles ends on the western side at the curving shoreline of Santa Monica Bay. Along the southern portion of that arc lie the “Beach Cities” of the South Bay: Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. A generation ago, when their sandy margins appeared in movies starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon and The Beach Boys turned the local surfing scene into legend with their songs, they were scruffy towns of bungalows and resort hotels, removed from the lights of downtown and Hollywood.
While things have changed — McMansions replacing the bungalows and parking meters lining streets that were once unpaved — it’s still southern California. Frankie and Annette may have quit the scene, but all three cities still have those beaches with volleyball nets and their picturesque piers, like Redondo’s, here:
The Beach Boys included both Manhattan and Redondo in their roll call of famous surf spots in “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” but all three communities also have schools, civic centers, fire and police departments, parking meters … and libraries.
In 1885, the City of Redondo Beach assumed management of a reading room the Women’s Christian Temperance Union had established right on the pier’s predecessor, Wharf No. 1, and it became the town’s first library.
The small white building in the very center is the library. Right. On. The. Wharf. Welcome to California, dudes.
In 1909, the growing library relocated to a wing of Redondo City Hall (no longer extant). It continued to expand, and the city began planning for a dedicated library building on a site overlooking the beach, adjacent to Redondo Pier. Voters approved a $50,000 bond issue in 1928, and the new library opened in 1930 in what is now Veteran’s Park.
Designed by author, architect and Redondo resident, Lovel Bearse Pemberton (d. 1934), that style is described as Spanish/Dutch Colonial.
The structure was placed next to a towering Moreton Bay Fig tree. Both building and tree still stand.
The city maintained the library there for 60 years, until the need for earthquake safety retrofitting combined with continued growth of the collection prompted a move to a temporary space in a nearby shopping center in 1991 while a new library was built at a different site. The old structure — reinforced and restored — is now a community center hall, catering to weddings and other events.
The interior retains some of its original character, a large, open space of approximately 7,000 square feet.
There’s a second floor mezzanine from which you can look through a glassed-in archway to the main floor. Originally, that arch contained stained glass that would’ve been backlighted by a skylight that’s still there, directly overhead.
The oak shelving against the walls is part of the original library furnishings.
As I mentioned, the historic library is smack on the edge of the ocean. How’s the view from a library at the beach?
There’s a lower level, too, which today has offices, storage and a commercial kitchen for catering events, bringing the entire space of the relatively small building to a surprisingly large 11,000 square feet.
Although L.A. is a place that celebrates the always-new, always-changing scene, it’s also a place that can value the past, and the old library building is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It looks out at the beach and pier as we celebrate the SoCal life, not only by waxin’ down our boards … We’re Readin’ U.S.A!
Hit it, boys.
Pacific Palisades,
San Onofre and Sunset,
Redondo Beach, L. A.,
All over La Jolla,
An’ Waimea Bay
Readin’ U.S.A.
Exterior photographs of the library and select images from other Under Western Skies posts are available on Shutterstock.com. Click on the linked photos, or CLICK HERE to view the Underawesternsky photo portfolio.
Wait, so they moved the library due to earthquake concerns… so it’s ok to let the community use a building that could fall down, but we gotta keep them books safe? Love the prioritisation.
(I’m figuring that some alterations took place when the books moved out, but I couldn’t resist…)
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By: Nick on July 12, 2018
at 12:38 am
Yes, reinforced and renovated.
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By: Brad Nixon on July 12, 2018
at 8:50 am
The history of a town wrapped up in the history of its library. Unique.
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By: GP Cox on July 12, 2018
at 11:14 am
I’m drooling over the idea of a library overlooking the ocean! Hmmm no ocean in Indiana, but perhaps I could convince the library board to relocate us to the shores on Lake Manitou…
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By: feistyfroggy on July 12, 2018
at 12:00 pm
It’s a total win. Go for it.
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By: Brad Nixon on July 12, 2018
at 12:30 pm
Of course, the boys would say something like, “If ev’rybody had an ocean/Like Californi-a/Then ev’rybody’d be readin’/Across the USA/All over Rochester/And up ol’ South Bend Way/Yeah, ev’rybody’d be readin’/Readin’ USA.” I’m here all week, folks.
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By: Brad Nixon on July 12, 2018
at 2:19 pm
Very fun!!
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By: feistyfroggy on July 13, 2018
at 11:13 am
That’s certainly not a location for the easily distracted. I say you go either to the library or to the beach, but not both simultaneously, as one is certain to interfere with the other.
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By: LaBoheme on July 12, 2018
at 12:53 pm
That’s very funny, thinking of there being protest, “It’s simply not RIGHT to have a library by the beach. They should be more boring.” Just kidding.
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By: Brad Nixon on July 12, 2018
at 1:12 pm
Nice pictures, I’ve seen the LA beaches in hundreds of movies. Ok maybe not that many but it is innumerable how many movies I’ve seen with California Beaches.
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By: shawnthompsonart on July 12, 2018
at 7:22 pm
Haven’t we all? One of the most fundamental images people have of California. They’re here waiting … a bit more crowded this time of year. Thanks.
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By: Brad Nixon on July 12, 2018
at 7:46 pm
Ha! You got to the parody (well, parodies) ahead of me. Very enjoyable, and now lots of music floating through my head. I couldn’t believe it when I found that Brian Wilson’s on another world tour. Talk about living history.
The interior of the building’s as beautiful as the exterior. The various arches are my favorite feature. I like that they kept the built-in shelves, too. Do you happen to know what’s on those shelves? Photos? Catalina pottery? Boxed sets of old Beach Boys cassettes?
The car-library-beach connection’s involved in one of my favorite memories. In 1964, my dad purchased what was known as a 1964-1/2 Mustang. It was royal blue with a white interior, and from time to time he’d let me drive it to the library. Well. Of course I was going to show off — even the mousiest Iowa high school debater can have a little California girl in her.
I still smile when I hear the song.
“Well she got her daddy’s car
And she cruised through the hamburger stand now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man now
And with the radio blasting
Goes cruising just as fast as she can now
And she’ll have fun fun fun
‘Til her daddy takes the [Mustang] away.”
And, yes. Daddy did get wise to me, eventually — but he didn’t take away the keys. We just had a little talk.
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By: shoreacres on July 15, 2018
at 8:30 am
Sorry to disappoint you, but there are candles in candleholders on the shelves. Catalina pottery is a great idea.
They do have an old card catalog they acquired — not original — and meeting planners use that for people to search in order to “look up” their table numbers. I liked that. But otherwise rather stripped down in there, library-wise. I’m betting some event planners may fill them out with at least a few props if the event’s elaborate enough.
What a fantastic Mustang Linda story. You had no choice, though. You had a ‘Stang. Your choices were: Go to the library; Ask permission to cruise (won’t happen); Lie. Any teenager would make the same decision. Kudos to your dad for talking and not putting you in teen jail in your room for the duration, keyless.
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By: Brad Nixon on July 15, 2018
at 1:18 pm