Inglewood, Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County area, Los Angeles County region

opened 1917
Public library from 1917-1962
demolished, 1967

grant amount: $10,000
architectural style: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival
architect: Not known

Early in the 1900s the Inglewood Library Society was organized; later women in the group decided to provide a free public library. They sub-let space from the Inglewood Women's Club in a building owned by the Inglewood Water company, and arranged numerous benefits to expand the collection while providing volunteer service to staff the library. Inglewood incorporated in 1908 and in 1916 voted the necessary tax support for the library to qualify for a $10,000 Carnegie grant. The city provided a site in the Grevillea Parkway. The library was built in the Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival style. The names of the architect and the builder are not known. The building was dedicated August 27, 1917. It was severely damaged in the 1933 earthquake, and the city voted funds to rebuild it; perhaps that is when the wings were added. In 1961 the library was outgrown and a city study concluded that the old library and a band shell behind it should be removed and a new library built on the same site. In 1962 most of the books were moved to temporary rented library quarters, while the old library was used for book storage. Finally in 1967 the stored books were moved to a nearby fire station and the building was demolished for construction of the new library.