Richard Henry Dana Branch Library, Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #1004
Built: 1926 Declared: 09/14/2011
Serving the Northeast Los Angeles community of Cypress Park, the Richard Henry Dana Branch Library was built in 1926 and designed in the Georgian Revival style by the architectural firm of Henry Sims Bent. The built-in wooden bookcases, light fixtures, hardwood and tile floors, wainscoting and paneled double doors lend significance to the library’s interior. The library was named after Richard Henry Dana, the 19th century author (Two Years Before the Mast) based on public suggestions of regional literary figures and California pioneers. It was later renamed Cypress Park Branch in 1969 when the Library Department began renaming city libraries after the communities they served. Although the building is currently vacant, plans are in development for its adaptive reuse as a senior center.