Title supplied by cataloger. The California State Normal School was a teaching college that was founded on May 2, 1862 in San Jose. In March 1881, after heavy lobbying by Los Angeles residents, the California State Legislature authorized the creation of a southern branch of the school to be built in downtown Los Angeles, which would train teachers for the growing population of Southern California. On August 29, 1882, the State Normal School at Los Angeles opened its doors, and in 1919 it became part of the "UC system" and was absorbed into UCLA, moving to a larger campus on Vermont Ave., in Hollywood (the present site of L.A. City College). The L.A. Public Library would take the old Normal School site, which was located on 5th Street between Grand and Flower streets. Designed by architects Bertram G. Goodhue and Carlton M. Winslow, it would eventually be constructed between 1922-1926. Union Oil magnate Lyman Steward founded the Church of the Open Door. The building, which is flanked by two thirteen-story dormitories, was designed by Walker & Vawter in the Renaissance Revival style, and was built in 1915. Photograph shows excavation on the site of the former Los Angeles State Normal School, and future site of the Los Angeles Public Library; view is looking south toward Hope Street. Visible is the Bible Institute, later to become Church of the Open Door/Biola Institute, located at 555 S. Hope Street.
Church of the Open Door (Los Angeles, Calif.) Los Angeles Public Library Central Library (Los Angeles, Calif.) Central business districts--California--Los Angeles Excavating machinery--California--Los Angeles Construction workers--California--Los Angeles Church buildings--California--Los Angeles Building sites--California--Los Angeles Streets--California--Los Angeles Lyman, Stewart Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.) Walker & Vawter
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