{"nrhp_refnum":"87001010","name":"Irving, Washington, Branch","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1803 S. Arlington Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.03957240500006,"lon":-118.31788246499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Mediterranean style branch library at Arlington Avenue and 18th Street in Los Angeles, built in 1926 and designed by the architectural firm Allison and Allison.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is significant for both its architecture and its history. It is an outstanding example of public architecture with distinctive brick and stucco work and unique leaded glass windows. It also grew out of a community campaign and has served successive neighborhood groups.","narrative":"Built in 1926 at Arlington Avenue and 18th Street in Los Angeles, this one-story branch library was designed by Allison and Allison, a firm known for churches, schools and public buildings. The hollow tile structure is finished in brick and stucco, with a tiled roof, side-facing gables, a bay window on the east side and a long paved terrace with a metal railing. Brick banding between the windows recalls Lombardy and Tuscany, and leaded glass in triangular and circular patterns fills the casements. Inside are a beamed reading room, an apsidal bay window, a children's room and a club room with a fireplace. The library began with a 1922 campaign by the West Washington Improvement Association, which won a city lot. It was dedicated in January 1927 and cost $37,000 plus furnishings. Its residential scale suits the surrounding Craftsman neighborhood, and it has served Irish, Italian, Black and Hispanic residents in turn. It is part of a group of city libraries.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Allison and Allison","architectural_style":"Mediterranean","criteria":[],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.281797-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/87001010.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001010/0604d61d4c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001010/0604d61d4c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Downtowngal","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_Irving_Branch_Library.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Downtowngal</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_Irving_Branch_Library.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857514","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Irving_Branch","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7971991"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/irving-washington-branch-87001010/"}