Built 1926; 1964 LAHCM # 911 Opened 1926 Phone +1 818-756-8453 | NRHP Reference # 87001019 Designated LAHCM February 13, 2008 Area 1,214 m² Added to NRHP 19 May 1987 | |
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Location 14555 Sylvan, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. MPS Los Angeles Branch Library System TR Address 6250 Sylmar Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91401, USA Hours Closed now Cesar Chavez Day might affect these hoursFriday(Cesar Chavez Day)9:30AM–5:30PMHours might differSaturday9:30AM–5:30PMSundayClosedMonday10AM–8PMTuesday12–8PMWednesday10AM–8PMThursday12–8PMSuggest an edit Architectural styles Modern architecture, Mid-century modern Similar Angeles Mesa Branch Li, Jefferson Branch Library - L, John Muir Branch Library - L, North Hollywood Branch, Center for the Arts Eagle Rock | ||
Van Nuys Branch covers two branch library buildings of the Los Angeles Public Library, both located in Van Nuys, central San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California.
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"Old" Van Nuys Branch of 1926
The original or "Old" Van Nuys Branch library was built in 1926 based on a Spanish Colonial Revival style design by architects Allen & Allen. In 37 years of operation, the circulation grew from 27,000 to more than 350,000 volumes annually. The old branch was closed in 1964, and replaced with a new branch in the Van Nuys Civic Center on the other side of Van Nuys Boulevard.
In 1987, the "Old" Van Nuys Branch and several other branch libraries in Los Angeles were added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of a thematic group submission. The application noted that the branch libraries had been constructed in a variety of period revival styles to house the initial branch library system of the City of Los Angeles.
"New" Van Nuys Branch of 1964
The "New" Van Nuys Branch library opened in 1964 in the then new Van Nuys Civic Center. The Mid-century modern style one-story masonry building extends out into the landscape with a modernist colonnade, and is shaded by groves of trees.
The building was also headquarters for the Los Angeles Public Library's bookmobile service. It was temporarily closed and surrounded by a chain-link fence in 2005, and in 2007 the city announced plans to auction off the building. Instead it was renovated to reopen as the branch library again.
The restored and updated "New" Van Nuys branch library is again the Los Angeles Public Library branch for Van Nuys, in the expanded Government Center complex of public buildings that replaced the former Van Nuys Civic Center.