The Washington Irving Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library has a legacy of community involvement beginning with the West Washington Improvement Association’s initiative in 1922 to establish the branch library. The Board of Library Commissioners responded positively to the Initiative and took action to purchase property at the 1803 S. On December 13, 1926, the 4000 square foot library o
pened to the public for the first time. The branch was named for the 19th Century author of “Rip Van Winkle.”
By 1988, the building was no longer adequate to serve its growing population and the need to build a larger facility was evident. In 1989, the passage of Proposition 1, a Library Bond Measure, gave the Commission the funding to start the process to build a new branch. In, 1990, the Commission selected a site at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Bronson Avenue for the new library. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on August 9, 1997. The new state-of-the-art building, designed by Fields Devereaux Architects & Engineers, includes 12, 269 square feet, triple the space of the previous building. The Library features special areas for children and teens and an outdoor reading area. A multipurpose meeting room has been named to honor the memory of long-time community activists and public library supporter, Jesse Mae Beavers. The new library’s African American history collection is named to honor Miriam Matthews, the first African American librarian in the City of Los Angeles. The branch is complemented by Elliot Pickney’s elaborated art component featuring a sculpture titled the “Book of Discovery,” a medallion titled the “Circle of knowledge,” and panels depicting various literacy symbols.
