{"nrhp_refnum":"95000388","name":"Palos Verdes Public Library and Art Gallery","other_names":["Malaga Cove Plaza Library","see also:boundary increase"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2400 Via Campesina","address_restricted":false,"city":"Palos Verdes Estates","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":33.79955267400004,"lon":-118.38775321999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-04-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A public library and art gallery at 2400 Via Campesina in Palos Verdes Estates, Los Angeles County, California, designed in 1929 by architect Myron Hunt and opened in 1930. It is a five-level Mediterranean Revival building of 16,550 square feet.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building was the center of social life in the young community from 1930 to 1945 (Criterion A). It also represents the work of the prominent architect Myron Hunt, who chaired the city's Art Jury and set the Mediterranean style for Palos Verdes (Criterion C). It is described as one of Hunt's most successful and best preserved buildings.","narrative":"Perched on a sloping lot in Palos Verdes Estates, this library and art gallery looks like a two-story building from the street but holds five levels. Myron Hunt designed it in 1929, and it opened in 1930. Hollow-cast reinforced concrete walls are covered in white stucco beneath a red clay tile roof, with a corbeled balcony, wrought iron railings and a square tower with an open loggia. The Olmsted Brothers designed the original landscaping, and native Palos Verdes stone walls survive. The lower level held a meeting room, gallery and kitchen for community use. Between 1930 and 1945 the building hosted Art Jury dinners, lectures, recitals, exhibitions and meetings of the Woman's Club and the Community Arts Association, making it the social center of a small new community. It also reflects the Mediterranean design standards Hunt set as chair of the Art Jury. A 1962 rear addition is the main change, and the building still serves its original purposes.","period_of_significance":"1930 - 1945","architect_builder":"Hunt, Myron; Chambers, Harold C.","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Mediterranean Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still serves as a library, art gallery and meeting hall, with appearance and use virtually unchanged since 1930. Some deferred maintenance is noted, and the community plans to restore it.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.141366-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/95000388.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000388/a559b7b08b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000388/a559b7b08b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Palos Verdes Library District","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malaga_Cove_Library_.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Palos Verdes Library District</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malaga_Cove_Library_.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859386","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palos_Verdes_Public_Library_and_Art_Gallery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65043795"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/palos-verdes-public-library-and-art-gallery-95000388/"}