{"nrhp_refnum":"87001019","name":"Van Nuys Branch","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"14553 Sylvan Way","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.18484030700006,"lon":-118.45051452399997,"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 masonry former branch library at 14553 Sylvan Way in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, built in 1926 to designs by Allison and Allison in the Spanish Colonial Revival style.","why_significant":"It is one of only two structures in the Los Angeles library system designed by Allison and Allison, an architectural firm known nationally for Italianate Revival work. It is a rare example of Spanish Colonial Revival design by that firm. Its U-shaped plan around a central patio, meant as an outdoor reading room, was a novel approach for 1920s libraries and suited the hot San Fernando Valley climate.","narrative":"Built in 1926 at 14553 Sylvan Way in Van Nuys, this former branch library is a one-story masonry building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It has a symmetrical street elevation, a gabled tile roof, stucco walls, paired casement windows flanking the entry, and an exterior stucco chimney on the east gable. The west facade carries Spanish-style decoration including stylized columns and an arch with a rosette. Allison and Allison designed it, a firm better known nationally for Italianate Revival work such as the UCLA quadrangle complex and several 1920s Los Angeles churches. Only two buildings in the city's library system came from their office, which makes this a rare example of their Spanish Colonial Revival work. The U-shaped plan wraps around a central patio meant to serve as an outdoor reading room, a novel idea for libraries of the period and a good fit for the valley's heat. Today the building houses city offices, with its open beam ceiling and fireplace still in place.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Allison and Allison","architectural_style":"Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"No longer used as a library; serves as offices for the city. The open beam ceiling and fireplace remain, air conditioning ducts have been added, and the coat-of-arms casement windows have been removed and stored.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.906242-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/87001019.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001019/ffe356c504-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001019/ffe356c504-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"JGKlein","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Van_Nuys_Library_(new).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">JGKlein</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Van_Nuys_Library_(new).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857627","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Nuys_Branch","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7913562"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/van-nuys-branch-87001019/"}