{"nrhp_refnum":"81000158","name":"Redondo Beach Public Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"309 Esplanade St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Redondo Beach","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":33.837675974000035,"lon":-118.38988239099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-03-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A public library building at 309 Esplanade Street in Redondo Beach, California, built in 1930 and designed by Lovell Bearse Pemberton. It sits in Veterans Park beside the ocean.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is a fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with notable Dutch Colonial features, and has a classical doorway with terra cotta decoration. It is unusual as a library sited in a park overlooking the ocean. It is also described as a link to the Redondo Beach of the early 1900s through the 1920s, since no other significant public or commercial buildings from that era remain.","narrative":"Overlooking the ocean from Veterans Park on the Esplanade, this brick and stucco library was built in 1930 to a design by Lovell Bearse Pemberton, an architect who also worked as an electrician, railroad manager, poet and composer. Its style is Spanish Colonial Revival, with a red tile roof, arched windows and decorative ironwork, combined with Dutch gables and a stair-stepped false gable at the entrance. The doorway has Greek columns, a Roman arch and pre-cast terra cotta floral decoration. The main block has a tall center section with a skylight and dark wooden beams, and the rear section rises three stories with large west-facing windows. Interior and entrance changes in the 1950s and 1971 left the building largely as built. The nomination values the library for its architecture, its unusual park setting, and its tie to the resort-era Redondo Beach of the early twentieth century. The surrounding park is not included except for the portion bordering the library.","period_of_significance":"1930","architect_builder":"Lovell Bearse Pemberton","architectural_style":"Spanish Colonial Revival with Dutch Colonial elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in good condition, and in use as a library. Minor alterations were made in 1957-59 and 1971 without affecting its integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.161497-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/81000158.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000158/c6ab5cc422-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000158/c6ab5cc422-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"ChildofMidnight","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Redondo_Public_Library_from_side.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">ChildofMidnight</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Redondo_Public_Library_from_side.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859449","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redondo_Beach_Public_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25006796"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/redondo-beach-public-library-81000158/"}