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Image / Rotunda's ornate ceiling and chandelier, Central Library

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Title
Rotunda's ornate ceiling and chandelier, Central Library
Alternative Title
Los Angeles Public Library Legacy Photo Collection
Date Created and/or Issued
Circa 1927
Contributing Institution
Los Angeles Public Library
Collection
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Rights Information
Images available for reproduction and use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/OrderingUse.html for additional information.
Description
Title supplied by cataloger.
Central Library, located at 630 W. 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles, was designed by architects Bertram G. Goodhue and Carlton M. Winslow. Constructed between 1922-1926, it was designed to mimic the architecture of ancient Egypt, complete with a tiled mosaic pyramid tower and many beautiful murals throughout. Tragic fires in 1986 destroyed part of the building along with 20 percent of the library's collection, prompting a closure for 6 years while restoration took place. The renovation was completed in 1993, and the library reopened on October 3, 1993. The Los Angeles Public Library is the third largest public library in the United States in terms of books and periodical holdings, boasting over 6 million volumes. It was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1970 - Building #70000136.
Julian C. Garnsey designed the ornate mosaic-like dome of the Library's rotunda. The sunburst image located directly above the globe chandelier mirrors the sunburst design of the pyramid on top of the building, a further illustration of the building's theme: "the light of learning". The chandelier that hangs from the rotunda's ceiling was designed by Goodhue Associates, modeled by Lee Lawrie, and manufactured by the Thomas Day Company of Los Angeles. It measures 9 feet in diameter, is composed of cast bronze, weighs one ton, and is part of a model of the solar system. This entire area sustained some smoke damage during the fire that ravaged the upper levels of Central Library, April 29, 1986.; For a close-up view of chandelier and domed ceiling, see #00039899.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;14 x 11 cm. on sheet 26 x 21 cm.
Photographic prints
Identifier
00078427
Los Angeles Public Library Legacy Collection
C-5 (413) 4x5
CARL0000080204
http://173.196.26.125/cdm/ref/collection/photos/id/112113
Subject
Central Library (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Los Angeles Public Library
Interiors--California--Los Angeles
Murals--California--Los Angeles
Chandeliers--California--Los Angeles
Rotundas--California--Los Angeles
Libraries--California--Los Angeles
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments
Goodhue, Bertram Grosvenor,1869-1924
Winslow, Carlton M
Garnsey, Julian E.(Julian Ellsworth),b. 1887
Lawrie, Lee,1877-1963
Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Bertram G. Goodhue Associates
Thomas Day Company (Los Angeles, Calif.)

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