{"nrhp_refnum":"87001020","name":"Venice Branch","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"610 California Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":33.99115582500008,"lon":-118.47573984199994,"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 1930 Spanish Colonial Revival branch library at 610 California Avenue in Venice, Los Angeles, built of masonry in a U-shaped plan. It is one of the Los Angeles branch libraries in a thematic group.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the library is significant for its cultural and historical role in the Venice community and as a notable design by local architect David J. Witmer. It was the second public building the City of Los Angeles built in Venice after annexation in 1925. Its unusual rear window bands and interior details show the architect's attention to function and detail.","narrative":"Built in 1930 at 610 California Avenue, the Venice Branch Library is a masonry building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It has a U-shaped plan, a symmetrical street facade, and a hip roof with a cupola at the rear. Oak double doors with diamond-shaped panes mark the entry, and the rear of the central block has full-length vertical rows of multi-pane windows between brick piers. Inside, an oak vestibule with Moorish motifs leads to a reading room with its original charging desk and a cast stone fireplace carved with a ship. Venice was an independent city from 1903 to 1925 but had no library of its own, only a rented storefront branch opened in 1912. After annexation to Los Angeles, the city built this library as part of a building program that also included a police station, a bathhouse and lifeguard stations. Architect David Witmer designed it, and it was his only library. Joe Crosel built it for $48,000.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"David L. Witmer (architect, also given as David J. Witmer in the significance text); Joe Crosel (contractor)","architectural_style":"Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"The library has served the Venice community since construction, and the interior retains the original charging desk and meeting room light fixtures.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.559984-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/87001020.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001020/50dacd5fec-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001020/50dacd5fec-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Venice_Branch_Library_(Vera_Davis_McClendon_Youth_and_Family_Center).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Venice_Branch_Library_(Vera_Davis_McClendon_Youth_and_Family_Center).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857629","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_Branch","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7919976"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/venice-branch-87001020/"}