Will & Ariel Durant Branch
Los Angeles
Barton Phelps & Associates

Bold façade helps this library stake its claim on the Sunset Strip

© Grant Mudford

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Viewed head–on, the main elevation of this building resembles nothing so much as an Ed Ruscha drawing. Architect Barton Phelps concedes that the comparison is an apt one, but he cites Robert Venturi as a more salient influence. This library branch fronts Sunset Boulevard: an automobile landscape that has inspired both the artist and the architect during the past four decades. To compete for drivers′ attention on the Strip, Phelps says, a building must become its own advertisement. The name of this branch library, therefore, appears in large letters like a billboard across the façade: Will and Ariel Durant.

Funnily enough, the Durants were not major benefactors in the construction of this branch; Will Durant was a historian who lived in the neighborhood. The Los Angeles Public Library was weary of imprinting his name so boldly upon the façade, so Phelps softened the impact by ensuring that the lettering was painted the same color as the rest of the façade; depending on the light and time of day, as well as the viewing angle, sometimes these letters simply fade into the background.

The branch′s location along a busy thoroughfare also affected its fenestration and Phelps′ chose of materials. Although the street provides visual excitement, it generates 65 to 70 decibels of noise: not exactly conducive to quiet reading. Accordingly, glazing along the front elevation’s five window bays is comprised of glass block. The hollow blocks not only deaden sound transmission, they create a pixilated pattern of light inside the library: just enough to intrigue but not distract. Clear–glass clerestories, located above these bays, face away from the street and help flood the building’s interior with daylight, reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Concrete blocks, in an earthy beige shade, are used throughout the building and provide seismic resistance, noise abatement, and a durable finish. The block color sets the building off from its commercial neighbors and looks particularly good in the orange light of morning and evening when Sunset Boulevard is most heavily used. The blocks extend indoors, continuing the public character of the sidewalk into the library.

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Formal name of Project:
Los Angeles Public Library, Will and Ariel Durant Branch

Location:
Los Angeles

Gross square footage:
12,500 sq. ft.

Client:
City of Los Angeles

Architect:
Barton Phelps & Associates
Architects and Planners
5514 Wilshire Boulevard, 10th Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-934-8615 tel.
323-934-3289 fax
www.bpala.com